The Impossible
by SivMeille
Summary: An Alternate Universe, where Darren is a girl. Yes, it's another one of those fics. What if it's possible to change your destiny? One impossible slip and everything could change. As of June 2012, lemons have been removed and some grammar mistakes corrected. Yay for SteveDarren!
1. Chapter 1 Starting Point

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Darren Shan saga, thank God. I would totally ruin it with my dirty mind.

**A/N: **I looooove this pairing. Man, the chemistry! Woohoo! But I'm not so good with yaoi, being FEMALE. Therefore, Darren is a girl. I just couldn't imagine Steve as a girl, maybe it's just my masochistic side? I think if Darren Shan(author) was to read this, he'd see real horror, but who cares! Long live romance fics!

Er.. I'm really sorry if any of these ideas seem 'recycled' because after writing this fic, I read another fanfic and was all "Hey, I wrote that line in my fic too!" and in the same situation too. So, I'm sorry if it seems similar but I can assure you, I haven't actually copied anyone's works. I wouldn't dare. Any similarities to current or complete fics are purely coincidental.

Major spoiler alert. If you haven't read the books, you might not want to read this fic.

Btw, this chapter I'd rate T to be safe. The M-rated parts will have to wait, because Darren and Steve are like, what, twelve?

June 2012 – I edited the chapters, correcting some grammar mistakes and removed most of the lemons in accordance with the M not MA rating. Don't want to get this story banned.

* * *

_Chapter 1: Cirque Du Freak_

Hi. My name is Darren Shan. I'd like to say that the first part of my life was normal. But it wasn't. And it had only gone downhill from then on.

My father, much like most fathers, wanted a son. Badly. He had been the only boy in a family of four females, so when I was born, you can only imagine his utter disappointment. My mother, in an attempt to console him, told him that he could name me whatever he wanted. And so I became Darren Shan, a girl with a male name. My mother wasn't happy about it, but she kept her mouth shut.

I spent the first years of my life watching my parents argue over the different ways they brought me up. My father would buy me remote controlled cars and soccer balls for birthdays and Christmas. My mother on the other hand, purchased dolls and tea sets for me. I played with both to make them happy, but would always find myself unable to play femininely. For example, my Barbie dolls would always be the first to die during play time. This disappointed my mother greatly, but there was little I could do about it. I was just a toddler.

In the end she gave up. And I was raised as a boy. That is, until Andy was born. Then my father shifted his attention to a true boy, and mum did her best to try to shape me back into a female. But it was too late. The damage had been done. And thus was the childhood of Darren Shan, a gender-confused female. I only wish that the weirdness ended there.

Of course, the names in my story are purely made-up. However, I can assure you that it is the only thing that has been replaced. Everything else? A hundred percent true.

My story begins on a day like any other. It begins, ironically, in the toilet.

I had excused myself in the middle of class, due to a sudden queasy feeling, but by the time I had reached the facilities, it was gone. But I waited a while, just to see if it would come back. The lunch bell had gone, but I stayed there, afraid that Mr Dalton, my English teacher, would think I tricked him.

So I sat there, humming to myself while some girls chattered to themselves outside the cubicle I was in. It always amazed me how much time my fellow females spent in the toilet. It was just as I was thinking this that I heard a chorus of shrieks, and a loud voice calling my name.

"Darren! Hey, Darren! Have you fallen in or what?"

I grinned to myself, registering the familiar voice of my best friend Steve Leopard. His real surname's actually Leonard, but with his rather infamous past, the name Leopard suits him much better. He had been what my mother called a 'wild child'. This never bothered me, he was a fun person to be around.

"Steve, you're going to get a detention for trespassing in the girl's toilet again," I told him.

"It's okay. I'll just tell Mr Dalton I was worried about you," Mr Dalton adores Steve. Probably because he finds Steve to be an _idiot savant_. Which means he's a stupid genius.

I smiled at what he said and opened the door. "I'm in here," I said, he grinned at me when he saw me. I'd always fitted in best with guys. I had the same short hair, I never wore anything resembling a skirt and I talked like a guy. If a stranger saw me on the street with my friends, there's no doubt that I would be mistaken for a boy. Everyone who knew me knew I was a girl, of course. But my male friends didn't care. I was one of their mates. And back then, there were no hormones to complicate things. Not yet.

"You puke?"

"No... Not yet," I said, then lunged forward and pretended to puke on his shoes, letting out a lot of realistic-sounding - to me anyway - sick noises.

"Give my boots a polish while you're down there," was his only response. I pretended to spit and rub his shoes with some toilet paper. He laughed.

This was the kind of relationship we had. Long before everything had changed.

I won't go through the whole she-bang about all that happened, all you need to know is that while I was playing soccer with my friends, we saw an ad for a _Cirque Du Freak. _Like any normal kids, we wanted to go. There were only two tickets. Steve had bought it, so we decided that he deserved to go. That left the other three of us, Alan Morris, Tommy Jones and I. I, through some miracle won the other ticket.

We went to the circus, and it was _amazing_. But what stood out the most for me, was Madam Octa, the most humongous spider I'd ever seen. I'd fallen in love with her at first sight. I'd always loved spiders, but she was something else completely.

Steve, however, had been focused on Madam Octa's owner, an orange-haired, tall, thin man with very pale skin named Larten Crepsley. In fact, Steve had gasped at the man's appearance while everyone had been silent. I paid no mind to him, but now that I look back, I probably should have.

When the circus act was over, Steve stayed back, telling me to go ahead of him. I, curious, followed him. That was when I found out the truth. Mr Crepsley was a vampire, and Steve wanted to become one. However, Mr Crepsley had rejected Steve, saying that his blood was evil. I couldn't bring myself to go back to Steve's house for the sleepover.

"I'm home," I informed my parents.

"Ren! What's wrong?" my mother said, taking in my pale and harassed expression. She didn't like the name Darren, and called me by what she thought to be a feminine short form of my name. "Oh no," she said.

I looked at her curiously, wondering what she was thinking.

"It finally happened, didn't it?" she said, wrapping her arms around it. "My baby girl," she cooed, and then looked to my father and glared. "I told you it's too dangerous to let a boy and girl sleep in the same room! See what happened? I knew that boy would do something to my little girl," My head snapped up in surprise, finally comprehending what my mother meant. I pried my mum's arms from around me.

"No! No!" I protested. "Nothing like that happened, alright?"

My parents looked at me in surprise.

"It was nothing. I'm just going to go to bed," I told them, and left the room before they could say anything else. I had a feeling I was going to get grounded for coming home so late and worst of all, that they were going to give me the birds and the bees talk soon. I really wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

The next day, I muttered some half-assed excuse to Steve, telling him it was dark and I had gotten lost. He didn't completely buy it. Then again, neither had I.

Over the coming nights, I obsessed over Madam Octa. I obsessed till the point that I couldn't take it any more. I stole her from the vampire, leaving behind a note threatening exposure of the undead creature. He didn't come after me.

I was giddily happy. I had the spider, the vampire hadn't come after me. The only grey cloud was Steve.

Steve came over some time after I had stolen the vampire. He confronted me as to why I had been avoiding him. And everything came spilling out. I told him how I was scared of him about how he had wanted to become a vampire.

"So you think I'm evil, don't you?" he shouted at me. I looked at him in horror.

"No, I don't!" I said. My mind flashed back to how he had come to check on me when I was sick, and protected me in the past. Not because I was a girl, but because we were best friends. What I said was true. I didn't think him evil. But what kind of person wanted to be a vampire? To drink other people's blood? I could barely stand the taste of my own blood.

"It hurt, what Mr Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school. You're my best friend, Darren, the only person I can really talk to. If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do," He started to cry. If I had been horrified earlier, I was thoroughly aghast now. I looked at my best friend and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Of course I'm your friend, Steve. We'll always be friends. And seriously? I don't think you're evil. But wanting to be a vampire? That's a little hard to accept," I told him.

He sniffed. "Vampires are cool. They have longer lifespans and it's not like I'd have hurt you, Darren,"

"I know," I replied quietly. We sat in silence for a moment, Steve wiped any leftover moisture from his eyes. "Besides-" I trailed off as I registered how close we were sitting, our faces mere inches away. It didn't help, of course, that I'd been lectured thoroughly in how babies are made and what not to allow guys to do until I'm old enough.

"Besides...?" he prompted, his gaze fixed on my lips. Suddenly my lips felt too dry. I licked my lips. He leaned forward, with the intention of kissing me, I was sure.

"Um," I said, and he stopped abruptly. "Sorry," I replied. He leaned back, moving his face from mine. I tried not to register the dejected look on his face. "I should have stood by you. I was a coward. I never imagined what you must be going through. I was only thinking of myself and Madam-" I pulled a face and stopped talking. His eyes narrowed.

That was when he found out about Madam Octa, and we proceeded to make the biggest mistakes of our lives. We played with the spider, trying to repeat a complicated trick Mr Crepsley had performed at the cirque. That's when Andy made an impromptu entrance, screamed, and I lost control. Madam Octa bit Steve, injecting her poison into his system.

The doctors and nurses tried their best to heal him, make him right. All failed. In a fit of rage, I threw Madam Octa's cage out of the window, only to see it fall into the hands of the vampire, right outside my window. I gaped at the orange-haired man.

It was then that I knew I had no choice, I had to find a way to help Steve. I couldn't leave my best friend to die for my stupidity. I sought out the vampire. He negotiated a trade. The antidote to save Steve in return of me becoming a half-vampire as well as Mr Crepsley's assistant. I was so upset by the fact that Steve was dying that I hadn't even bothered to correct me every time he called me a boy. And so I agreed. I can't say it was an easy decision, but I'd have done a lot worse for Steve, I think.

He blooded me. Steve recovered. I avoided Mr Crepsley, thinking I could avoid being his assistant too. But as the rapid changes began to overtake my instincts and morals, I knew I had no choice. I almost attacked Andy, my beloved squirt of a brother. That was when I knew my life of near peace had come to an end.

Mr Crepsley 'arranged' for me to die, as a way to escape without any ties nor connections.

I spent the weekend saying silent goodbyes. I visited every one of my favorite spots: library, swimming pool, cinema, parks, soccer field. I went to some of the places with Mom or Dad, some with Alan Morris or Tommy Jones. I would have liked to spend time with Steve but couldn't bear to face him.

I spent the most time with Andy. Out of everyone, I would miss him and Steve the most.

"You're acting weird," Andy told me.

"Huh?" I replied, shocked. I didn't think I was acting all that differently.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, then leaned forward. "Are you sure you had nothing to do with Steve's miraculous recovery?"

"Of course not," I snorted. We were silent after that. I studied my brother carefully, his short brown hair and sparkling eyes. Despite losing much of my father's attention to this boy, I had always loved him. And probably always would. I would definitely miss him. Without realizing it, I reached out a hand and was rubbing his head and tousling his hair affectionately. "You know I love you, right, kid?"

He stared at me, horrified. "There is definitely something wrong with you," he replied, eyes wide.

I just laughed at him and withdrew my hand.

Then it was time. Mr Crepsley gave me a potion, broke my neck and threw me out the window.

I wished the potion Mr Crepsley gave me to appear dead made me unconscious too. It was so painful to hear my parents and brother mourn me. And at one point, someone came in to do something to me. I had no idea what exactly, but it was weird. I was majorly creeped out after that.

Then I was buried, in - much to my horror - a dress. I guess my mother had won that one. Though, I suppose if I had seen the expression that belonged to my mother's mourning keen, I would have given her anything she wanted as well. Even if it meant putting some white, fluffy thing on a tomboy.

Mr Crepsley dug me out in record time. Thank God, because I was beginning to get bored. As I sat up, he eyed me weirdly.

"Are you all right?" Mr Crepsley asked.

"I feel dead tired," I grinned weakly.

Then he made me stand up so he could examine me. "No broken bones. Just a bit of bruising which will die down after a couple of days," He helped me out of the grave. I dusted the dress, cursing it's white colour. Mr Crepsley cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I must confess, I had no idea that you were a girl," he said uncomfortably. "I apologise for the harsh way I have been treating you,"

I rolled my eyes at his sexist behaviour. "It's alright," I said, it was easy to mistake me for a guy. No female body parts - yet - and male name. The only way people knew I was a female is if someone told them, or they peeked at my birth records.

"You said your name was Darren,"

"It is. My dad had weird tastes in names," I said simply, uncomfortable with sharing my personal life with this vampire. I asked if I could take a walk to stretch out my muscles. Mr Crepsley consented.

I went for a walk, and was thinking about my new abilities when a hand reached out from behind one of the graves and wrapped around my mouth, dragging me out of sight of Mr Crepsley. I struggled against my attacker and tried to scream, but when I felt a wooden stake pointing directly at my heart, I stiffened.

"If you move even a fraction, I'll drive this right through you without blinking," I recognised that voice as soon as it had been uttered.

"Steve?" I gasped. "Steve, what the-"

"Shut up! I don't want your _friend_ overhearing,"

"My...? Oh, you mean Mr Crepsley," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Larten Crepsley, Vur Horston, it's all the same to me,"

"Steve, what are you doing here?" I asked him, confused. He lowered the wooden stake a few centimetres.

"To hunt vampires, of course," he told me.

He scoffed at me, he resented how I had become a vampire instead of him. How I had betrayed him by becoming one.

"I never wanted to become a vampire. I only agreed to join him in order to save your life. You would have died if I hadn't become his assistant."

"A likely story," he snorted. "To think I used to believe you were my friend. Hah!"

"I am your friend!" I cried. "Steve, you don't understand. I would never do anything to harm you. I hate what's happened to me. I only did it to-"

"Spare me the sob story," he said. But it was too late. Nothing I could say would convince him. In his mind all sorts of conspiracies had formed. He had forgotten all about how we were friends. I had the life he had wanted so badly, I had betrayed him.

"I thought I'd be able to kill you tonight, but I was wrong. I'm too young. I'm not strong enough or brave enough," he took a step closer to me. I hadn't even noticed that he has stepped back. "But I'll grow," he informed me. "I'll get stronger and braver. I'll devote everything I have to training myself. And when I'm ready," he took another step towards me. I backed away, but hit a tree. He had me cornered.

"_I'm going to hunt you down and kill you_," he vowed. "I'm going to become the world's best vampire hunter and there won't be a single hole you can find that I won't be able to find too," I looked at him, his face was glowing madly.

"I-" I figured I should at least say something.

"Shut up!" Our proximity made me more than uncomfortable. I was downright scared. He paused, produced a knife, and cut a small cross into the flesh of his left palm. He held his palm up so I could see the blood dripping from the wound. I am sad to say my stomach nearly growled at the sight of fresh human blood, nearly spoiling this strangely dramatic scene.

"On this blood, I so swear it!" he declared. "I'll make sure you never return from the grave!"

"You-" I started again, with the intention of telling him off for: One, bleeding so near a vampire, two, being so dramatic when I had explained countless times that I hadn't chosen this life and three, keeping his face so close to mine. But he cut me off.

"Shut up!" he said again.

"Stev-" Instead of telling me to shut up again, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, effectively silencing me. I'd like to say that my first kiss was slow and gentle, and tasted like strawberries. But it didn't. It was forceful, scary and tasted of hate. That is, if hate tasted like anything. The worst thing of all? I really liked it. Even as I was pushed up against the tree, wooden splinters poking into my back, I couldn't concentrate on anything but the kiss. I didn't resist, I just let him continue kissing me.

Then finally we broke away, both of us gasping for breath. My hands grasped the front of his shirt, bunching it tightly, as if I had reached out to get a hold of something in fear of falling down. His right hand was propped against a tree, trapping me, while the left cupped my cheek. The gentle touch contrasted greatly with his forcefulness.

"One day," he said between gasps. "One day, I'll kill you," Then he left, disappearing into the shadows of the night. I stared at his silhouette as he left, then continued staring before slumping downwards slowly against the tree, until my butt touched the ground. It was a while later when Mr Crepsley found me, and so began my life as a creature of the undead.

I, however, was too preoccupied with the bruising of my lips to notice this turning point in my life.

* * *

**A/N:** Ahaha! Finally got Chapter One done. Man. The things I can do when I want to.

Yes, yes, I know that Darren and Steve are kind of young for romance, but I just couldn't help myself. . Sorry if Loli love offends anyone.

Just a note that this is the last of the first books that I'll write of. Most people should already know the story, right? And it seems like a waste of time writing summaries of stuff without Steve in it. Just pretend everything was the same, except that Darren is a girl.


	2. Chapter 2 Reunion of the Night Allies

**Disclaimer: **My name's not Darren Shan.

**A/N: **A REALLY long chapter. Sorry about that.

And okay, I know I said I wasn't going to write any more summaries, but I couldn't help it, okay? Just bear with me for a while more.

I added an **A/N** at the end of the summaries, so if you want, you can scroll down and find it. It's pretty obvious. But then you'll miss all the little changes I made to the story. Like Debbie.

But then again, I would have scrolled down. Because I want to read about Steve.

Be warned that there's an M-rated part coming up, but I toned it down loads from before the edit.

* * *

_Chapter 2 Reunion of the Night Allies_

Fourteen years ago, I made a great mistake. I stole a poisonous spider from a vampire. I paid the price for my crime, trading my humanity to gain my best friend's life back.

My name is Darren Shan. I'm a half-vampire, and female. Don't let the name fool you.

Six years ago, I came to Vampire Mountain, and through a bizarre chain of events, ended up as one of the five Princes of the vampire clan. The Princes hold absolute power over the other three thousand vampires scattered all over the world, and I had the luck to join their ranks. Though I'd gained the position mostly by default.

Except of course, I'm a Princess. Which made me shudder. Whenever someone called me that, my mind would automatically flash to those cliché maidens in distress who waited, looked up in their towers, for someone to rescue them.

It made me retch.

Which is why I insisted to be called a Prince, though very few actually obeyed that order. Particularly the three Princes that I ruled alongside. They had no obligation to listen to me - and they didn't.

So I was a Princess. Ew.

I lived an adequately comfortable life, working on the sidelines as the War of the Scars ensued.

That is, until Mr Tiny once again invaded our lives, turning everything topsy turvy.

He warned us that the Vampaneze Lord had been blooded, and there would be four chances where he'd be at our mercy, and we could kill him to ensure victory for the vampires. However, only three vampires could go after him - me, Mr Crepsley and another vampire I had yet to meet, accompanied by as many non-vampires as we liked.

And so the hunt for the Vampaneze Lord began!

I studied my two companions closely as we travelled. One was my mentor, Mr Crepsley, who was secretly more like a father than a mentor to me. He wasn't much to look at, with his short crop of orange hair and long, ugly scar running down the left side of his face. But he was one of my dearest friends.

The other was Harkat Mulds, my closest friend on Vampire Mountain who had saved my life twice. He was a Little Person, who'd been one of the living once, but died, and Mr Tiny brought him back to life in a new, stunted body. He wasn't much to look at either. He bore features similar to the Frankenstein monster, with dead, grey skin, no visible ears (it was stitched beneath his scalp) or a nose, no hair and a face that had been roughly stitched together.

I had no right to talk, though. I was bald, which, I know, is not a good look for an adolescent girl. But I had long given up the luxury of looking pretty. I didn't have time to look pretty. War was upon us. And even if it hadn't, I doubt I would have put in the effort to make myself look attractive. As far as I knew, very few vampires actually looked like models. That was the life of a vampire. There was pride in bearing scars, no matter how ugly they seemed. I could, however, do with being a little bit taller. If I had put on Harkat's blue robe and drawn the hood over my head, I could disguise myself as one of them. _That was how miniscule my size was._

We travelled on to Lady Evanna's, who, I was told, was a witch. Well, sort of. Unfortunately, on the way there, something horrifying occurred.

My hair grew back and I started leaking blood from my lower region.

I know, crazy, right?

But I swear, it really did happen.

I had been itching like crazy all over my head and felt a sort of dull pain in my stomach for a while now, and Seba, Mr Crepsley's mentor, had said that he did not know what the pain was all about, but my itching was a product of "coming of age". I had wondered what he meant, until one peaceful evening.

I woke up, feeling ridiculously good. The itching had stopped. Full of bliss, I went to a small pond near our camp-site to wash my face. In my dazed state, I saw a long-haired girl in the water and panicked. After a few stupid moments, I realised it was me, noticing the scar above my right eye. First, I ran a hand over my head, fingering the long locks stupidly. Then I screamed. Then, seeing red stains all over my shorts, I screamed again. Harkat and Mr Crepsley came rushing.

They didn't recognise me at first, but eventually I managed to convince them that I wasn't some kind of disguised vampaneze.

After changing my shorts, I sat down on a blanket at our campsite, and wound another blanket around my body, feeling ridiculously exposed for no absolute reason. I demanded an explanation from Mr Crepsley as to what was happening to me.

"We call it The Purge," Mr Crepsley told me.

"The Purge?" I echoed.

"Yes. It occurs when the vampire blood cells start to attack the human ones and convert them, morphing the half-vampire into a full vampire. The unusual hair growth and itching are symptoms of the first stage. But it will be a while until you change completely into a full vampire,"

"Then what about the blood?" I asked.

"That... I do not know," Mr Crepsley said.

"It seems a bit like menstruation," Harkat remarked. My jaw dropped, and I nearly dropped my blanket in shock.

"No, that is impossible. Vampires are not fertile, and menstruation is a sign of fertility," Mr Crepsley said, scratching his long scar. "This is highly unusual," he sighed. "A half-vampire of your age is rare, female vampires are even more unusual and I can say with some confidence that you are the first adolescent female half-vampire in existence."

I stared at the remnants of our fire intently, shocked into a confused daze. Mr Crepsley sighed.

"Either way, it matters not. There is nothing we can do about it now. We must continue with our journey," he said, and that was the end of our discussion. At the next town we stopped by, I went to the pharmacy and bought 'feminine' products, stammering to the cashier, embarrassed as hell.

I grew six centimetres taller within a period of six weeks. Which I was ecstatic about, seeing as how I was often compared to Harkat in terms of size. And I wasn't a Little Person, just little. The purge brought about turmoil for my senses, but they begun to stabilise after six weeks. I had also grown in the chest area, resulting in me having to venture in the most embarrassing part of a department store's clothing section. Mr Crepsley and Harkat mercifully left me to suffer by myself as I browsed through the various underwear. My hips had also flared out, resulting in me finally getting rid of the flat, washboard figure I'd had... much to my dismay. There was no way I could pass off as a guy now. Then there was also my face. I'd lost my childhood fat, and it had grown sort of longer, and softer. More feminine. It made me sigh, how I would have to explain to everyone why my name was Darren.

On the way to Lady Evanna's, we met the final hunter. Vancha March, a Prince who had the most disgusting habits I had ever seen. I winced, watching the green globs of phlegmy spit he spat all over the place. I may have been a tomboy, but such lack of hygiene just didn't seem right to me.

And Lady Evanna. She was not what I'd expected. But she warned me that looks could be deceiving. I liked her, but I had to wonder if the feeling was mutual. Though my senses returned and stabilised, the blood continued to visit me every month. Lady Evanna regarded it suspiciously, muttering something about it being 'highly unusual', and 'what could he be up to?', but refused to tell me anything more.

Then we travelled to the Cirque Du Freak, following our hearts, as Mr Tiny had advised. There we had one chance to kill The Lord of the Vampaneze, one chance to change the future. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful. It turned out that Vancha's brother, Gannen Harst, was the personal guard of the Lord of the Vampaneze, who was disguised as a servant. Vancha let his brother go, as well as the Vampaneze Lord.

Vancha suffered a great amount of guilt, and attempted suicide by sunburn. We stopped him and shook him out of his guilt-induced stupor, and he went back to Vampire Mountain to report our confrontation with the Vampaneze Lord, leaving Mr Crepsley and I to continue our hunt.

But I couldn't help thinking that there was something familiar about the Vampaneze Lord's voice. I'd only heard him speak once, right before we ambushed them, so I guess I didn't have a very good basis to make assumptions from. However, it bugged me how the voice sounded both familiar and not. I shrugged it off, thinking that I was brooding too much about it.

We left the Cirque Du Freak, and for the first few months, we simply wandered around. And then we headed to Mr Crepsley's home city which we discovered was being preyed upon by the vampaneze. The town was in a state of uproar over the recent killings.

And the weirdest thing of all? I got enrolled into a school. _And nobody knows how nor why_. It wasn't Mr Crepsley, though the forms were supposedly enrolled by Vur Horston, his original name.

We ignored the mystery for the time being, and I went to school to avoid any unwanted snooping and pestering by officials as to why a fifteen year old girl wasn't going to school.

Another surprise awaited me in school. I was reunited with my first girlfriend, Debbie. We had met thirteen years ago when Mr Crepsley was hunting a vampaneze named Murlough who was haunting his home town just as the vampaneze were right now. When I met Debbie, I felt this nonsensical attraction to her. We simply connected. I hadn't had that kind of reaction to anyone except Steve. Debbie did too, and wrote it off as hormonal attraction, thinking I was a boy. When I informed her of my gender, she simply took it in stride and I was shifted from romantic interest to best friend. She was the only female friend I'd ever really liked.

When I saw her at school, I was thrilled. So was she. Until she remembered how old I was supposed to be. I made up an excuse. She was a close friend, but I didn't want to tell her about vampires and vampaneze. She wouldn't believe me anyway.

She helped me out in school, tutoring me in things I was way behind on. I don't think I could've survived school life without her.

On one of our usual tutoring sessions during a Friday night, she met me at the door and apologised to me. She had a date and would be unable to tutor me. I winked, wished her good luck and made myself scarce. She smiled wryly at me before telling me to walk home safely.

I walked the streets, my mind elsewhere, thinking about how the teenage girl that I'd met was dating too... And I still didn't have anyone.

Sure, some vampires told me - in what I presumed was a joking manner - that when I grew older, they'd seek me out. But I didn't like them that way. I knew that. In fact, there was only one person who I'd ever had romantic inclinations towards.

Not the first time in so many years, I thought of Steve Leopard. He was a constant in my mind. I often wondered how he was and what he was doing right now. Stuff like that. I wondered if he still remembered me and the oath he'd made.

It was as I was brooding deeply on such thoughts that I failed to notice a presence behind me until it sneaked up on me and bashed me in the head. I rolled away, narrowly avoiding struck by a sharp, metallic hook. I studied my assailant, noting the red eyes and inhuman speed. Vampaneze. He had no hands, just two metallic attachments at the ends of his elbows, three curved hooks on each.

He lunged forward to attack me and I avoided him, the metal claws dug into the brick wall, gouging out a sizeable crater when he pulled free. I took advantage of the time he took to free his hand and kicked him in the chest. But he'd been expecting it and brought his other arm down upon my shin, cruelly knocking my leg aside.

The hooks on it tore through my leg. I gasped in pain.

I tried to run, but my injured leg prevented me from doing so. I took a couple of strides and collapsed to the floor. I whirled onto my back, planning to face death instead of letting it stab me in the back.

"Going to cut you," The vampaneze hissed. "Slow and painful. I'll start with your fingers. Slice them off, one at a time. Then your hands. Then your toes. Then-"

Just when I'd given up all hopes of survival, something shot by the vampaneze's head, missing him narrowly.

The vampaneze cursed and retreated, muttering vowed threats as he left. Another steel-tipped arrow was fired after him, but he ducked and it missed.

**(A/N: More or less the end of the summaries, yay!)**

For a long time, everything remained silent. Then a man appeared. He was of medium height, though I guess that I would come up to his nose if I stood next to him. That was how tiny I was, even after the Purge. He was dressed completely in black, a long scarf loped around his neck and gloves covering his hand. He had grey hair - but wasn't old - and he seemed sort of stern. He held a gun-shaped weapon, out the end of which jutted a steel-tipped arrow.

I sat up with some difficulty. "Thanks," I said as the man got closer. He didn't answer, simply walked in the direction the vampaneze had left, checking for any signs of a comeback. Then he walked back to me, holding his arrow gun and pointed it at me.

"Mind lowering that? You just saved my life. Be a shame if that went off by accident and killed me."

He didn't lower the gun. "Does it surprise you that I spared your life?" he asked. There was something familiar about his voice, like the vampaneze before, but I couldn't place it. But unlike the hooked vampaneze, his voice made my heart beat faster. And I didn't know why.

"Um.. Yes?" I said weakly, eyeing the lethal weapon in his hands.

"Do you know why I saved you?"

"Out of the goodness of your heart?" I said, and there was no denying the hopeful tone in my voice.

"Maybe," He stepped closer, and I could vaguely feel the tip of the arrow gun poking my chest through my layers of clothing. "Or maybe I was saving you for myself!" he hissed.

"Who are you?" I croaked, trying to move backwards, away from the gun, only to be impeded by a wall.

"You don't recognise me?"

I shook my head in reply. His face looked so familiar, but I just could place it. He seemed sort of hurt that I couldn't recognise him. My heart started beating even faster.

"Strange. I never thought you'd forget. Then again, it's been a long time. And the years haven't been as kind to me as they've been to you. Perhaps you'll remember this," He held out his left hand, the palm of the glove revealed the flesh underneath, and my eyes immediately the rough cross that scarred the flesh.

"Steve!" I gasped, staring from the cross to his cold, hard eyes. "Steve Leopard!"

"Yes," he nodded grimly.

Debbie Hemlock walking into my English class was weird enough, but meeting Steve again? I was frozen with shock.

I continued staring at him with wide eyes. Then he lowered the arrow gun and jammed it in a belt behind his back. He extended his hands, grabbed me above the elbow and pulled me to my feet.

"Had you going for a minute, didn't I?" he said, a smile on his face.

"You're... You're not going to kill me?" I whispered in a barely audible tone.

"Of course not," he told me.

I'm embarrassed to say that I, who is about two and a half decades old and one of the five absolute rulers of the Vampires, threw my arms around my old friend and bawled my eyes out like a baby. "Steve!" I sobbed into his shoulder, vaguely aware of my tears and snot leaking from my face and onto his black shirt.

"Stop that," he muttered and I thought I could hear the sound of his voice breaking. He let me continue crying, patting my back awkwardly every few seconds.

After a minute or two, my tears had tapered off into sniffles. I pulled my head back from his chest and looked up at him.

"It's really you!" I said, grinning happily and swiping away the moisture on my cheeks with the back of my hand.

"Of course. You don't think two people could be born this handsome, do you?"

"Modest as ever,"

"Nothing to be modest about," he laughed. "Come on. We should go before Hooky returns with company,"

"Hooky? Oh, you mean the va-" I stopped, wondering how much Steve knew of us mythical creatures. "Vacuum cleaner," I finished quickly.

He looked at me oddly. "Vampaneze," He corrected me.

"Oh good, you know about them," I said, releasing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. Nice cover, though, with the vacuum cleaner," he said sarcastically, then placed one arm behind my back and another at the back of my knees, and lifted me up bridal style. I squealed in terror, the same way I imagine pigs - and turkeys, if they could squeal - do during Christmas.

"Wait- Steve! Put me down!" I said, throwing an arm around his neck, trying to gain some balance.

"You can't walk, can you?"

"I can hobble!"

"No. Stop squirming, or I'll drop you," he warned. I went still. Both my human and vampire blood rushed to my face. Silence fell between us as Steve continued walking. Then, a few moments later, he broke the silence. "You're really heavy, you know that? How much blood do you drink, anyway?"

My jaw dropped. "Put me down!" I demanded, struggling to get out of his arms.

"Hey, I'm really going to drop- Stop squirming! Hey!"

* * *

Steve's hideout was the fifth floor of a run-down apartment block. He put me down in front of a door, allowing me to lean against the wall as he removed the padlock on the door. Then he helped me limp in - no more bridal style lifting - and laid me down on a couch.

The couch was threadbare, and wiry springs stuck out through several holes.

"Try not to impale yourself," Steve laughed. He took down a first aid kit from a shelf. I demanded an explanation for his sudden appearance, but he told me it could wait until after I was treated and Debbie was warned. He explained that the vampaneze had been following me from her house. Using his mobile phone, I was dialling her number before he had finished explaining.

"Debbie?"

"Darren! You wouldn't believe the nerve of that jerk! Can you believe that his wife called him three times during our date? Business call, yeah, right!" she sounded a little drunk.

"Debbie!" I said again, more urgently. "Debbie, I need you to get out of your house. Pack your things and get a room at a hotel. Stay there for the weekend."

"What?" she sounded confused, but more sober. "Darren, what's going on?"

"Debbie, do you want to die?" It was a little harsh, but I was at my wit's end. And my wound really hurt. She was silent for a few seconds

"No," she answered quietly.

"Then please, trust me, and get out of there," I hung up, hoping she'd do as I said. Steve proceeded to treat my wounds and fill me in on Hooky. He was gentle, and I hardly felt any pain as he stitched it up.

After he was done, I asked him what he'd been up to for the last fifteen years. He asked me to go first. In the end, we flipped a coin. Steve lost, and started to tell me of what he'd been doing.

He told me of how he'd been enraged at Mr Crepsley and I for a long time and how that changed when he befriended some vampires with the intention of killing them, only to learn that we weren't evil. We didn't kill humans when we drank. Then he learned of the vampaneze and was amazed that such creatures existed. He decided to hunt them down instead. He informed me that he had killed six so far, and of the horrors of killing with stakes.

"He died on top of me, his blood drenching me, his face next to mine as he shuddered and sobbed and..." Steve looked away. I was overwhelmed with this sudden urge to comfort him.

I scooted closer to him, trying to avoid the wiry springs. I covered his gloved hand with mine, squeezing it in what I hoped was a comforting manner.

"It's okay," I said, feeling useless. I wished I'd been there for him growing up. It sounded like it had been a tough fifteen years. He turned back to me, looking me in the eye. Then he did something I wasn't expecting. He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. I gaped at my best friend, my mind flashing back to what happened the last time we'd seen each other. He continued looking me in the eye, his eyes boring into mine.

"Darren," he whispered, and then leaned forward with the intention, I'm sure, of repeating what happened at the cemetery all those years ago.

Just before his lips touched mine, I spoke, our lips brushing ever so lightly against each other as my mouth formed the words I was speaking.

"Steve. I have the appearance of a fifteen year old. And you're, I don't know, about twenty seven?"

"What's your point, Darren?" he asked. At first I didn't register the question, what with the hot breath on my mouth sending a pleasurable shudder through my whole body. Yes, I was that far gone.

"Um, aren't we breaking some sort of age taboo?"

"We're the same age," he answered.

"Well, yes, but-"

"And since when have I ever played by the rules?" Before I could think up a response, he pressed his lips to mine and all coherent thought flew out of my mind.

His kiss was exactly as I remembered it. Forceful, dominating and completely arousing. I could feel moisture pooling between my legs just from his kiss. Then I felt something wet and soft poking at my closed lips, requesting entrance. I opened my mouth obediently, allowing his tongue to invade my mouth. He explored my mouth with his tongue, running it over my gums and teeth. If it had been anyone else, I would have probably found the act disgusting. But with Steve it only served to excite me even more. I pushed at his tongue with my own and suddenly we were battling each other, the little pink muscles clashing in what seemed to be a territorial dispute.

I sucked his tongue and felt the vibrations of a groan reverberate from his throat and into my mouth. We broke away, gasping for breath. He reached out, tucking back a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. I looked up to see him smiling almost tenderly at me.

"I missed you," he said quietly. I held the same hand that had reached out to me and pressed the gloved palm to the side of my face, sighing in bliss as the warmth from his hand spread all the way to my heart.

"I missed you too," I replied. He chuckled, and with that same hand on my cheek, turned my face upwards and lowered his face to mine once more.

Somewhere throughout the kiss, his hands caught both my wrists and pushed me down on the couch so that I was lying on my back and he was right on top of me. Metal springs prodded into my back. Strangely enough, I could feel something else prodding me in the front. When we broke off, catching our breath, I looked down and blushed. A tent jutted out in the crotch area of his black pants. I'd been lectured enough by my parents on how kids were made to know what it was.

I quickly looked back up, trying to pretend that I'd seen nothing. I glanced at Steve to see if he'd noticed anything amiss. There was a huge smirk on his face, and I knew that he knew that I knew.

"See something you like?" he asked, lowering his head to nip at my throat.

"Um. No," I lied.

"Liar," he said, and sucked my neck lightly. Then he slipped a hand beneath my shirt.

"Steve!" I gasped.

"Yes?" His voice was muffled against my neck.

"Isn't this going a little too fast?" I said. My voice sounded a little weak even to me as he continued laying butterfly kisses on the side of my neck and continued downwards.

"You want me to stop?" he asked, placing a warm hand on my midriff.

I gasped at the contact, nearly completely forgetting what we had been talking about. His smirk seemed permanently etched onto his face now. His hands roamed all over my body, driving me into a lust-crazed frenzy. I totally forgot what I had been thinking about.

One by one he removed my clothing, tossing them onto the floor, until I was completely naked. All he had removed was his scarf. I tried my best to cover myself up with my arms, hide my flaws. He grasped my wrists and held them to either side of my head. I noted that he was pretty strong for a human. He studied my bare form lustfully. I cringed, embarrassed.

"Um," I said, feeling proud that I could still control my now bruised mouth enough to form words. "Is there a reason why I'm completely naked and you're not?"

He grinned. "That eager, huh?"

"No," I lied again. Then he straddled my waist, his erection prodding me more prominently, and removed his shirt. He threw it to the floor.

"Happy?" he asked.

"No," I said, telling the truth for once. He smirk got wider and he got off me. He stood up and removed his pants, revealing plain black boxers. I wanted to laugh. I had to admire his colour coordination skills. Then he took off the boxers too, before climbing back on top of me. An unimportant part of my brain noted that he still had his gloves on.

"What?" he asked uncomfortably, the smirk gone.

"Is..." I swallowed, my throat had gone dry in light of this new revelation. "Are you sure _that_ can fit into this?" I asked, pointing at his crotch and then to my lower region. I wondered if it was normal for guys to be that big. Or was that why Steve was so full of himself?

The smirk returned. "Of course," He kissed me again. "It's going to hurt," he told me. I nodded, not trusting my voice. "But it'll get better, I promise," I nodded again. "If you want me to stop, tell me," Before I could nod again, he lowered his head to kiss me once more, before pushing himself inside.

It wasn't painful at first, just uncomfortable, then he broke through my barrier and pain flooded my brain. Holy crap, that had hurt. I had my thumb sliced off once, but that didn't seem as painful. Maybe it was because I felt more vulnerable, more violated. At that time, I didn't even have the time to worry about it. And it had gotten reattached. Vampire abilities – supposedly tougher bones and muscles – hadn't helped _at all_ against the pain of losing one's maidenhead.

But I didn't want to stop. I urged Steve to keep moving, to keep going until we became completely joined.

Later on when he had finished I slipped my arms around his sweaty back, hugging him close.

Unbeknownst to me, this was a relatively important turning point in my life. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied with getting my breathing back to its normal rate to notice it.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not really happy about how much content I took out and replaced with summaries, but at the same time I didn't want to take up so much reading space with stuff you've already read about, so...


	3. Chapter 3 The Blissful Period

**Disclaimer:** I own, a um... Uh... Actually, I don't own any Darren Shan merchandise... Why? Why don't I? And why am I monologuing in the disclaimer section?

**A/N:** As of June 2012, lemon has been removed and replaced with vague-ish references.

* * *

_Chapter 3 The Blissful Period_

After a few minutes, Steve lifted himself off me and kissed my forehead lightly before removing himself from me. He got up and off the couch, and fetched a towel to clean me up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, sitting up slowly. My whole body ached. I scrunched up my face, wondering if I would be able to walk properly and realised I already had an injured leg. He looked at me curiously.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Oh," I blushed. "Um. How I'm going to walk after this."

He grinned at me mischievously. "If you think it's bad now, wait till we're done with round two."

"...Huh?" I looked at him stupidly. He threw the towel over his shoulder and climbed back on top of me, forcing me to lie down once again. "Wait!" I squealed. "Steve, stop! Stop! Wait!" Much to my surprise, he halted his advance.

"What?" he asked, a little irritably.

"Well... That is..." I mumbled. Then I remembered that Harkat was still at the hotel waiting - and probably worrying - for me. "I need to get back to the hotel..." I said.

"Why? Mr Crepsley's waiting for you?" he asked in what I thought seemed like a sour tone. I wondered if his anger towards the vampire had really waned or if he was simply sulky about the fact that I didn't want to do it again so soon.

"Actually, no," I responded. "But there is someone there who I'd like you to share your story with."

"Who?" he asked curiously.

"I'll tell you on the way there," I said. He lifted an eyebrow, but got off me. I sat up slowly, my muscles protesting. I tried standing up, but nearly fell flat on my face as my muscles decided to go on strike. Steve caught me just in time.

"Thanks," I said, blushing as I realised we were both naked and standing very close to each other.

"It's alright," he muttered. I limped around the room, picking up my clothes and putting them on as well as trying to pretend that I wasn't aware of Steve's intense gaze on me. Gravity didn't help, causing some of the liquids between my legs to flow down, making my thighs hot and sticky. And Steve eagerly wiping it off. Blood seemed to take up a permanent residency in my cheeks around the one person I didn't want it to.

Eventually, we left Steve's apartment. I filled Steve in on what I'd been up to for the last fifteen years on the way to our hotel. Well, as much as I could anyway in the short period of time it took to walk to our destination. I also asked him about my friends and family, but he hadn't been home since he was sixteen, and was unable to say much.

"But I'm sure they're alright," he reassured me.

"Of course," I agreed. I stumbled on another pebble, cursing the ground and regaining my balance at just the last moment. Steve took hold of my hand and held it tightly, guiding me.

"I'm okay," I told him.

"I know," he responded, but didn't release my hand.

Harkat didn't seem to suspect anything between us. He was wary of Steve at first, but when I informed him that Steve had saved my life, he relaxed slightly. I tried to walk as normally as I could, trying to pass off any strangeness in my walking style as injury-induced.

We talked about what had happened to me, and Steve told us more about the vampaneze that had attacked me. Then, for some reason, it was decided that Steve would help in our hunt for the vampaneze.

"No. No way," I said instantly. Harkat and Steve immediately turned to me, surprised at my firm rejection of such an idea.

"Why not?" Harkat asked. "Steve has had experience ... in vampaneze hunting."

"Just... no. No matter what, Steve's still a human," I protested. I looked over to the grey-haired man and I thought I saw something dark and unidentifiable in his eyes at the word 'human'.

"Just a reminder that I _have_ been searching for the vampaneze for a while, and would still be right now if not for our coincidental reunion. And whether we team up or not, I'm continuing with this hunt," he told me calmly. I pouted at them both, acting like a spoiled kid. But I didn't care. All I had wanted was to keep the person I loved safe.

"Fine," I said grudgingly.

We spent the weekend searching for the vampaneze in the tunnels below the city - to no avail. There was no sign of the vampaneze.

We returned to the hotel, exhausted and hungry. After Harkat had taken his bath, I stepped into the bathroom, stripped off my filthy clothing and closed the shower cubicle door. I knew that if I were to take a bath, I'd fall asleep in the tub.

The droplets rained onto my body and I sighed in relief, feeling both the filth of the tunnels and the strain of my muscles wash away. Then I heard a sound I didn't expect to hear - the sound of the bathroom door opening. Steve walked in, and shut the door behind him. Then he started to strip down to nothing.

I was so shocked, I could only stare at him. Then I looked away, blushing furiously. He opened the cubicle door and stepped in as well. I turned down the water blast a little so he could hear me.

"Steve," I hissed. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked. He laughed at my attempt to put some space between us, which involved squishing myself against the side of the shower cubicle furthest from him. "Relax," he said. "I told Harkat about us."

"You did what!" I shouted. He turned up the water again and began lathering himself with soap. "Steve!" He didn't respond, probably unable to hear me over the sound of thousands of droplets splashing against bodies and tiles. I tried to turn down the water. He caught my wrist just before I could grab hold of the shower tap and started to soap me up throughly. Very thoroughly.

The he kissed me deeply, his tongue reaching into my willing mouth. I twined my arms around his neck.

He merged himself into me much less gently this time. It was an animalistic, brutal connection which I relished completely, much to my horror. I didn't think myself much of a masochist, but the more force he used on me and the rougher it was, the more turned on I got.

It was only minutes later when we reached our peaks, Steve barely managing to hold onto me as waves of pleasure flooded over us. I held onto my love tightly, pressing my chest against his.

"I love you," I whispered, the words drowned out by the shower as soon as it was spoken. Then he put me down and broke our connection, keeping one steady arm on me in case I stumbled and fell, and turned off the shower. The shower head halted it's heavy downpour. Steve stepped out and towelled himself as I leaned against the tiled wall weakly. Then he threw the towel to me. I caught it deftly and began drying myself off. Steve then took out a bottle of his lotion and lathered it on. He had explained that it prevented colds but had a strong medicinal stench. After that, he began dressing. Absent-mindedly, I noted that the first thing Steve put on was his gloves. He spied me watching him and grinned.

"Aren't you going to get dressed? Not that I'm complaining, it'd be great to see you naked twenty-four seven," he said mildly, pulling on his shirt. Somehow, he'd managed to keep his clothes clean through our arduous trek, while mine never seemed to stay spotless.

I blushed. "I, um, forgot to take a change of clothes with me," I wrapped the towel around me tightly.

"Oh, right," he said, and threw a bundle of clothes to me. I caught them quickly, fearful of any pieces landing on the floor and getting wet.

"How did you-" I asked, eyeing my clothes.

"Actually, despite what you think, I didn't come in here solely for the purpose of seeking carnal pleasure. I was just going to give you those clothes, but when I saw you all naked and wet, I couldn't resist," he shrugged nonchalantly. I gaped at him.

"Get out!" I shouted in outrage, shoving him towards the bathroom door. With a mischievous chuckle, he complied. But just before he opened the door and left, he turned back to face me.

"By the way," he started. "You have good taste in men."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused by the randomness of that statement. I held the towel more tightly around me, feeling too exposed for comfort. Which was ridiculous, considering how much bare skin Steve had already seen.

"I love you too," he told me, winked and left. I stared after him. He didn't, did he? He can't have heard me in the shower.

I wanted to die. I hoped that the floor would swallow me up so I'd be saved from this mortifying embarrassment. I was a Prince, someone respected by Vampires for God's sakes, and here I was acting like some lovesick teenager.

I took off the towel, folded it four times, held it to my mouth and let out a muffled scream.

* * *

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Steve lying down in the bed - mine - and Harkat sitting in a chair, waiting for me. I looked over to see if Steve was asleep. His eyes were closed and his breathing even. Harkat followed my gaze and then gestured to the connecting room.

I closed the door silently behind me. Harkat sat on his bed. I stood, trying to work out the soreness in my muscles.

"Did you want to tell me something?" he started.

"Um," I looked away guiltily. "I... um, love him. Steve, that is," I stammered, blushing at my own words and feeling like an idiot. And this was just Harkat, my best friend. I dreaded having to tell Mr Crepsley what had happened, which I knew I had to eventually. Especially since he'd called Steve evil in the past.

"I see," Harkat said. "Do you think it wise? You are after all, a Princess," I winced at the word. "And the hunt for the Vampaneze Lord ... doesn't seem to be ending any ... time soon."

He wasn't berating me, but merely pointing out the facts. I had thought about it too. There wasn't much of a future for Steve and I. But I still hoped.

"Steve could help us," I said. "He has had experience in hunting vampaneze," I knew I was grasping at straws, desperately searching for a reason to keep him by my side. "You're the one who said he might be useful in the hunt."

"In this hunt, yes..." he said. Then sighed. "If you think it's alright, I won't stand in your way. But I don't want you to get hurt."

I felt touched. The Little Person was actually supporting me in my recently established love life. "Thank you," I told him. He smiled at me.

"I can't believe you actually found someone. Little Darren is growing up. And here we thought you had ... no hormones," he said teasingly. I threw a pillow from Mr Crepsley's bed at him. Then I spotted one of the spare blankets and remembered Steve's vulnerability to the cold.

"I should go give this to him," I told Harkat. He was already lying down, his green, lidless eyes dimming as he descended into unconsciousness. I crossed to the other room. It was dark, but my eyes adjusted quickly to the lack of light. I shook out the blanket before placing it over Steve, feeling pleasantly maternal. Then a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into the bed. I squeaked as the same hand wrapped around my waist and the other pulled the blankets over me.

I protested, as quietly as I could so as not to wake Harkat up, that there was a limit as to how many times you could _do it_ in one day.

"I'm just cold," Steve muttered, reading my mind. He pulled me close. "And you're really warm," He sighed blissfully. It made my heart pound. I stopped protesting.

"Just for a while," I said in resignation. But I fell asleep in his arms, ridiculously comfortable at the invasion of my personal space. Which was weird. I wasn't exactly a touchy feely person...

Was I? I fell asleep before I could finish that thought.

* * *

The first thing I became aware of the next day was Steve's arms wrapped around me possessively. I felt toasty warm and strangely content under the blankets. I sighed blissfully, snuggling closer towards the man I loved. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw two green orbs fixed on me accompanied by a cheeky, jagged grin.

I screamed. Not loudly enough to wake up the neighbours, but loud enough to shock Steve awake and reach for his arrow gun.

I swore to Harkat that he'd pay for what he'd done. Later, when he was least expecting it. He simply grinned at me.

I had to go to school that day, mostly to explain to Debbie what happened. There I received another shock, as if I hadn't been surprised enough already. Both Debbie's neighbours had been killed by the vampaneze.

She demanded an explanation as to why I had told her to get out of her apartment. I didn't know how to answer. In the end, she was forced to leave with the police officers to run her statement past them, and I didn't get to explain. Which was just as well, because I didn't know what to tell her. She swore that she'd find me and wrench an explanation our of me later. Once again, I didn't know how to answer.

"I'm going to tell Debbie everything," I informed my companions after school. Steve, who'd been fiddling with his arrow gun accidentally pulled the trigger. The arrow embedded itself in the ceiling. Harkat, who'd been putting away the plates we'd used for breakfast, dropped one. The ceramic splintered into a million pieces on the floor.

I was completely not expecting their dramatic reactions.

"What is she turns us into the police?" Steve asked.

"Humans are unpredictable at the best ... of times. You can't know how she ... will react," Harkat said.

"She's too deep in for me not to tell her. The vampaneze know we know. She needs to know how serious this all is," I said stubbornly.

"And if she betrays us?" Steve asked.

"I trust her," I said stubbornly. Steve rolled his eyes. I frowned. "Well, we'll just have to risk it,"

"_You_'ll just have to risk it," Steve said pointedly.

"If you don't like it, you guys can leave. I won't stop you," I told them, regretting the words as they left my mouth. But I couldn't take it back.

Steve scratched the cross on his left hand thoughtfully, as he often did. "No need to snap. I vowed that I'd stick with you guys till the end, didn't I?" he said sullenly. Inwardly, I sighed in relief.

"I don't approve," Harkat said. "This is wrong," he insisted.

"How about we vote, seeing as how this affects all of us?" Steve suggested.

"No. No votes. You've made your opinions clear," I said. "But I'm still going to tell her everything. I can't leave her to die any more than you could leave me to in that alley, Steve."

"You feel about her that strongly?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied without hesitation. She was my very first best/girl friend. I was not about to leave her to die violently by Hooky's hands. If I could do something, I would.

"Why?" Steve asked. "What exactly is she to you that you'd be willing to put us in danger just so you could keep her alive?" His eyes bore into mine and I could tell this wasn't just about the dangers of us being exposed or the risk I would be taking anymore, but about our relationships.

"Steve," I said softly, placing my hand over his. "I love you," I told him. "And I love Harkat, and Mr Crepsley," I paused, sighing. "But I also love Debbie. Love doesn't only happen between lovers, you know. If I were to lose any one of you, I'd be left broken," I squeezed his hand, feeling the rough-ish texture of his gloves beneath my fingers. "If any of you were in her place, I would do the same thing. You know that."

He sighed, and I knew that I had successfully conveyed my feelings to him. "Fine. I won't argue anymore."

I looked to Harkat, awaiting his judgement.

"I don't approve," he repeated. "But I know I ... can't stop you, so I won't."

I nodded and smiled at them both, thankful that they seemed pretty understanding, considering what was on the line. I tried to repress the nervous shake in my knees at the idea of coming clean to my girlfriend.

* * *

Debbie came over at seven. And everything came tumbling out of my mouth. It was a long, detailed story and she absorbed it all without interrupting. At the end, I provided a demonstration of my vampiric prowess. I moved so fast, it must have seemed like I merely disappeared and reappeared before her eyes.

She chose to believe us. I couldn't begin to tell her how grateful I was that she did. Of course, then she decided to join along in the hunt.

"Out of the question," I said. "You're human. The vampaneze could flick you into the middle of tomorrow with a snap of their fingers. No way."

"Darren. I could provide you with an extra pair of eyes, ears, hands."

"Sure, but if we run into a vampaneze, can you fight?" I insisted.

"Don't feel bad, she reacted the same way when we decided for me team up with them to hunt the vampaneze," Steve told Debbie. She lifted an eyebrow at that.

"For good reason!" I hissed.

"Well, I can kit her out with an extra arrow gun. In a scrape we might be glad of an extra body. At least she'd give the vampaneze another target to worry about."

"But... Harkat - tell them!" I said desperately. Having to worry about Steve was bad enough, at least he was experienced. But Debbie?

"You got her into this," Harket said. "I told you not to. She knows the danger and she ... accepts it. What excuse have you to reject their offers ... other than you're fond of them and ... don't want to see them harmed?" he said. I knew he was talking about how I'd reacted to Steve's offer as well.

I sighed. "Alright," I said grudgingly. "Doesn't seem like I have a choice."

"How gallant," Steve cooed mockingly, stroking my head. I smacked his hand away - lightly - and stepped away from him, sulking. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I elbowed him in the gut in what I thought was a gentle manner. His grunt told me otherwise.

"Not now," I hissed. He retaliated by tickling me in the ribs. I squirmed and laughed involuntarily.

"Is something going on between you two?" Debbie asked curiously.

"What?" I asked, holding onto Steve's wrists and keeping his fingers away from my sensitive ribs. "Oh, uh-" I broke off abruptly and cocked my head to the side, releasing Steve's wrists.

"What-" Steve frowned at my sudden change in behaviour.

"Hush!" I snapped. Then I advanced to the door and pressed my ear against it. There had been footsteps in the hallway, but no door had opened.

We retreated from the door, and hatched a quick plan. Harkat and I were to check the hallway while Steve - who had magically produced a rope from his jacket - and Debbie were to climb out the window to safety. Harkat and I advanced into the hallway, only to be ambushed from above by a green-haired creature of the undead.

Fortunately, it turned out to be an ally of ours - Vancha March, and with him was Mr Crepsley, much to my relief. We welcomed them warmly. At least, Harkat and I did. I can't say Steve was very happy to see Mr Crepsley. Or maybe it was the other way around.

"Blood does not change," he growled. "When I tested Steve Leonard's blood, it was the taste of pure evil. Time cannot have diluted that."

"I'm not evil," Steve growled back.

"He's not evil," I said, at the same time as Steve growled.

Steve paused and looked at me, a strange mix of emotions on his face. Before I could ask him if anything was wrong, he turned away. Then he cleared his throat. "_You're _the cruel one, making horrible, unfounded accusations. Do you realize how low an opinion I had of myself after you'd dismissed me as a monster? Your ugly rejection almost drove me to evil!"

"It would not, I think, have been a lengthy drive," Mr Crepsley said smoothly.

Thankfully, Vancha cut in, explaining that not all who have evil in their blood commit evil. But Mr Crepsley was adamant, insisting that we do not place any trust in Steve. But after Harkat and I said we would vouch for him, and Vancha agreed, Mr Crepsley gave up. Majority won. Then we proceeded to share our news.

I can't say I was really listening that intently. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, I noticed Vancha flirting quite shamelessly with Debbie. I glared at him. I didn't have anything against him, but I think Debbie could do much better than the ill-mannered, mud-stained, smelly Prince. And then Steve started distracting me by playing with my hair. I wondered if Mr Crepsley or Vancha had caught on. From Vancha's wink, I figured that he did. And if Vancha had, I guessed that Mr Crepsley did too. And from the way Mr Crepsley kept antagonizing Steve - by eyeballing him really intently - it was obvious that my father figure would not approve of my one true love. I sighed inwardly.

The sun was on the brink of rising when we actually got to bed. Harkat and Vancha slept on the floor, Mr Crepsley in his bed, Steve on the couch, and Debbie and I squished together on the bed in the other room.

"It's been one tiring day, huh?" I asked Debbie, leaning over to switch the bedside lamp off.

"That's putting it mildly," she replied, making herself comfortable in the bed. It was small-ish, but big enough for the two of us. Which wasn't saying much, considering our equally small-ish statures. I settled down in the dark, lying down on the pillow, ready to slip off into Dreamland when Debbie spoke again. "So. What's with you and Mr Arrogant?"

I stiffened, and could feel a cramp acting up in my leg. "Um, well..." I started, unsure of how to go on. Vampire senses were more enhanced, much better than a human's, and I wondered if the men - Alive, dead and undead - next door could hear us. I lowered my voice and mumbled. "I told you, he used to be my best friend."

"Bull!" she burst out. "You like him. No, I'd even go so far as to say you love him."

"Debbie?"

"Yes?"

"Shhhhh," I hushed her, wondering if anyone within a mile radius _didn't_ hear her.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly. I sighed.

"Okay, yes, I love him," I replied just as quietly. "I think I always have. Since we were kids. Though the type of love I had has changed a little."

"I noticed," she replied with a small laugh. Then she stopped laughing, and sighed. "Do you really think we can catch these vampaneze?" she asked in a small voice.

I stared up at the dark ceiling, hesitating. I didn't want to give her false hopes, nor did I want to crush her spirit. "We'll do our best," I replied finally. This time, she remained silent.

"Yeah," she said, after a few seconds, then rolled over and went to sleep. I suddenly found myself feeling more awake than I had just a few minutes ago.

We woke up at dusk, and Mr Crepsley and I checked out of the hotel. We then moved to Steve's apartment block, occupying the two apartments next to his. A quick spot of tidying-up and the rooms were ready to inhabit. They weren't comfortable - they were cold and damp - but they'd suffice.

Then we started our hunt for the vampaneze.

I wanted to go with Steve or Debbie, but it was decided that the full-vampires could protect them better. I agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly, and so it was decided that Debbie would go with Mr Crepsley, Steve with Vancha, and Harkat with me.

Despite having three extra people, the hunt went no better than it had just a few weeks ago. We continued to scour the tunnels, but found no signs of anything vampaneze-ish living there.

Debbie found the first few nights to be hell, she looked like a ghost, looking gaunt and weary. But she pushed on, fueled mainly by will and determination. I told her not to push herself too far. She heard me, but at the same time I doubt she listened to me.

Wednesday was another wash-out, as was Thursday. We knew the vampaneze were down here, but the system of tunnels was vast, and it seemed as if we were never going to find them. The six of us would return to the apartment, tired beyond belief and collapse till dusk brought another disappointing night.

More often than not, I would be dragged by Steve into his bed. Well, his couch. The same one we'd made love for the first time on. It was cramped, and I was threatened by the ever present risk of falling off the couch or impaling myself on one of the springs. But I relished the physical contact between us, the ability to bond without resorting to our primal instincts. I wished it would last forever.

And ever. And ever. But eventually, everything comes to an end.

* * *

**A/N: **Has anyone noticed how I don't ask people to review? It's because I review a lot myself and I know how hard it is to write a review sometimes. Especially when you've reviewed, like, every chapter so far.

But I'll just say this. You know that warm, fuzzy feeling of bliss you get when something good happens to you? I get that _every time_ I get a review. Wow, that sounded an awful lot like shameless begging, didn't it?


	4. Chapter 4 Before the Storm Hits

Disclaimer: ...I don't even own the books. How sad is that? I really should go out and buy them...

A/N: No lemons, but an amazing amount of sexual innuendo...

When I first posted this chapter, I realized, I didn't put any lines in. I'm really sorry about that. To make up for my silly mistake, I'll post Chapter 5 as well.

* * *

Chapter 4 Eye of the Storm

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Steve's face. His eyes were still shut and his breathing even. I smiled, wondering if it was just me and my rose-coloured glasses that made him look so handsome or if he really was that good looking. I wondered if there had ever been other women who found him as handsome as I did. That put a damper on my cheerful mood.

I snuggled against him, feeling somewhat dejected and wanting to be loved. He tightened his arms around me and my mood brightened. Wow, did I have it bad or what.

I stayed there for a few more seconds before easing myself from his arms gently. He rolled over with a grunt and went back to sleep.

I crept out of the apartment and went to check on our other team mates. Debbie was still sleeping, as were the vampires. Harkat was awake, but he seemed to be thinking deeply about something, so I left him alone. As I shut the door quietly, I caught a glimpse of my mentor's orange hair and sighed, my mind flashing back to just a night ago, when I was confronted by Mr Crepsley regarding Steve.

_My old mentor and friend just stood there, staring at me. I toweled my wet hair vigorously, trying not to look him in the eye. It was no coincidence that Vancha chose this moment to fall deep asleep and Harkat to take his shower. I braved a look, Mr Crepsley was glaring at the floor and scratching his scar._

"_I love him," I said simply, resisting the urge to cough at the end and ruin this embarrassing (but true) statement. He stopped glaring at the floor and lifted his head to peer into my eyes intently. I tried not to flinch._

"_Is that so?" he asked. "Can you love the evil in him too?"_

"_He's not evil!"_

"_That boy was born evil. I am not mistaken, despite what everyone else seems to think,"_

"_But he's not evil! He's stronger than that. He wouldn't succumb to malice and evil. I believe in him," I told him. Mr Crepsley's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting me to be so assertive for the sake of someone I'd met again just days ago, but had always loved. He frowned and then sighed. I could tell that he was torn between being happy for me and wary of Steve._

_He continued stroking his scar, and I stared at him, awaiting a response. Then he sighed._

"_If I told you to cease this love affair with that... __**boy**__,__would you listen to me?" he said slowly, as if choosing his words with care. _

_I snorted the most unladylike snort I could manage and said "Of course not!"_

"_Fine," he said, pursing his lips. "Then for now, I approve,"_

_I felt a grin slowly spread onto my face, then I launched myself onto my mentor and hugged him for all I was worth. He was frozen, shocked that I would display such affection. He patted my back awkwardly, like the barely apt father figure he was. But still, I loved him. That was probably why his approval was the most important to me._

"_However," he said, prying me off him gently. "If he hurts you..." His eyes held a dangerous glint that I had seen only a few times before. "I will tear him limb from limb. Understood?" I was wondering why he was telling me this, but I nodded anyway. Then he smiled. "I wonder where that spider thieving child has gone," _

"_I'm still here," I told him cheekily. "But now I have someone to steal spiders with," I winked at him, then exited the room. I could hear his soft chuckles as I crept down the hallway, all the way back to my beloved._

* * *

I crept down that same hallway, wincing every time a loose floorboard squeaked beneath my feet. I hurried to the stairs and scrambled down it, eager for some fresh air. The air in the apartment was sort of stale, though Steve's lotion covered most of the smell. I don't remember how I found it so vile and overpowering a few days ago. I'd come to associate him with that stench, and it seemed as pleasant as roses.

I exited the apartment and breathed in deeply. The sky was dimming and the evening air was fresh yet sweet. I walked slowly, into the town, savouring the feeling of freedom and bliss. I should have been more on guard, more tense considering the situation that I was in, but it was difficult with everything looking so pretty. Is this how people in love view the world? No wonder they were so happy all the time.

People bustled around me, most heading back home to their families. For one somber moment, I wondered how my own family was. Were they okay? Did Andy grow up well? Is my mum in good health? And how about dad? I sighed.

As I was pondering this, something shiny caught my eye. I looked to my side, seeing a stall of various jewelery. The person manning the stall was a little shady, and something about where it was located screamed illegal, but I guess when you had vampaneze infesting your town, a little illegal business didn't matter much. At first I wasn't going to bother browsing through the items, but like a jackdaw, I just couldn't tear myself away from the bright, shiny things. I blamed it on the fact that I had too much endorphins running through my veins.

I smiled at the dodgy man behind the table. He continued frowning at me. I looked down quickly, a little intimidated by his lack of friendliness. I studied the metallic items carefully, trying to ignore his intense gaze. I brushed my fingers against the cold metal lightly, it was smooth beyond compare and shaped beautifully in ways I had difficulty believing was done by humans. I continued moving down the stall, and came across a pair of matched necklaces. Paired necklaces had always intrigued me, though I had always looked at the friendship ones, not the couple ones when I was younger. And then looked away, because how masculine were friendship necklaces? Not a lot, I can tell you that.

They were both shaped as crosses, which I found ironic, considering how vampires were supposed to be afraid of crosses. They were thick and a little bulky. One was bigger than the other, and empty in the middle. The other was smaller, and it seemed to be able to fit into the bigger one.

"May I?" I asked the stall owner. He stared at me stoically, then nodded. I took up the two necklaces and placed the smaller cross into the bigger one and it popped open like a locket. In it were the words 'I love you'. The word 'love' was on the smaller cross, and without it, the bigger cross would have only held the words 'I' and 'you'. It was totally cheesy, and I loved it.

"How much is it?" I asked, looking up at the unseemly man. He held up three fingers. "Three?" I asked, delightedly surprised at how cheap it was. He shook his head. I plummeted and crashed into the ground. "Thirty?" I guessed. He nodded. I sighed. I could have sold everything I had on and still not have enough money. Plus, I could hardly be spending our already scarce money on such things. I lowered my hand to put the necklace back when a gloved hand grabbed my wrist, halting my action.

"We'll take it," a voice said to my right. I turned my head slowly to my right - and upwards, as I was shorter than him - to see my grey-haired love. I felt dazed as Steve Leopard took out some money - God knows where exactly in his coat he kept it - and handed it to the shady man, then pulled me away from the suspicious stall.

"Wha- Where-" I sputtered. I was a vampire - okay, half - and we were good hunters. Very rarely could people sneak up on us. "Where did you come from?"

He looked at me oddly. "The apartment?" he said, a single eyebrow raised. I continued to stare at him dumbly. He took the smaller cross from my hand and eyed it, holding it up as it glinted in the sun. Then he turned to me, and said "Turn around."

"...Huh?" He rolled his eyes at my intelligent response and spun me around so that my back was towards him. He placed the pendant on my chest, the cold metal feeling foreign yet completely right on me.

"Lift your hair," he commanded. I held it and pushed it up. He clasped the chain on behind my neck, then moved my hand away, letting my hair cascade down my back. I prayed that he wouldn't see all the tangles that had developed after the many nights I tossed and turned in bed with no comb to run through my hair. He put his hands on my shoulders and spun me again to face him.

"You like this kind of thing, huh?" he asked, teasingly, smirking for all he was worth.

"No," I lied. "It was just... shiny,"

"Right, shiny," he said sarcastically. He took the bigger cross from my palm and held the clasp endings behind his neck.

"Let me do it," I said.

"Can you reach?" he laughed. I slapped his back (Not his rear end, his back). "Ow," he protested. I stood on the tip of my toes and with some difficulty, managed to put it on. He slipped it under his scarf happily.

"Why do you get the bigger one?" I muttered a little - okay, a lot - grudgingly.

"If I recall correctly, didn't you say something about 'Are you sure _that_ can fit into this?' a few days ago?" I blushed. He grinned at my reddening face.

"Yeah, but that fits into that," I said, lowering my voice discreetly and pointing at my cross then at his.

"Yes, but you're much smaller. Way too tight, in fact," he retorted, shrugging. My blush increased in intensity. He laughed and twined his fingers around mine, holding my hand as we walked the streets of Mr Crepsley's childhood. I sulked at his shameless comments, but didn't break our contact. I was enjoying it way too much.

That is, until I noticed people staring at us and our linked hands. I looked up at Steve. He seemed oblivious to the attention we were getting. Studying him, I realised why they were staring. Here I was, a girl who looks to be about fifteen years old, holding hands intimately with someone who was physically twelve years my senior. He was too young to be my father, and yet too intimate to be my brother or friend. Which only left one last possibility, of course.

I tried easing my fingers from his, embarrassed. He glanced down at me before tightening his grip on my fingers and pulling me closer. I squealed in surprise. He finally let go of my fingers, but instead wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me even closer.

"You really are such a girl," he sighed. "I can't believe you actually care about what strangers think,"

"Well, it's just unusual, okay," I muttered in protest. "For someone about three times my age to be holding my hand like-"

"I'm not that old," he cut in sulkily. "And who cares?" he shrugged. He suddenly placed his hand on my neck, pulled my face upwards and kissed me. My shocked protests were muffled against his mouth. I could practically feel the heated stares of the public.

Finally, we broke free and I struggled away from him. He let me go, laughing. I pouted and went to a news-stand to flick through the papers, wondering what has been happening in the world and trying very hard to pretend that my blush was natural.

I glanced through the topmost paper, and a small article caught my eye. I snatched up the papers roughly - creasing and crinkling it in the process - and held it closer to my face.

The article was about a teenaged girl who the police was looking for, and suspected to be the latest victim of the killers, who'd struck again on Tuesday, murdering another young girl. And in big, bold print was a very familiar name. Darren Horston, the name with which I'd been registered with in the school I was attending.

I discussed this matter with my fellow collaborators, with the exception of Debbie, who I didn't want to alarm unnecessarily. After thorough discussion, it was decided that I would go to school to inform the school that I was okay, and had been absent due to illness. After I had convinced everyone that I was okay, I'd say that I felt sick again and ask one of my teachers to call my 'uncle' Steve - Who'd been strangely enthusiastic to play such a role - to collect me. He'd then make some passing remark that my father had gone for a job interview, one that he would get and cause us to relocate to another city.

This was the plan, but it was unfortunately ruined by an unexpected revelation. The girl who'd been killed on Thursday? Yeah, she was the girl who sat next to me in English. And on my other side was Richard, a boy who I'd struck a sort of friendship with after rescuing his life. First Debbie's neighbours, then the girl, Tara Williams? It was obvious that Richard would be next. It was as if Hooky was making it obvious on purpose. A sort of trap?

I excused myself and ran back to Steve's apartment, hurriedly waking up the sleeping humans and vampires - Harkat was already awake, of course - and told them of what happened. We agreed to stake out all three houses of my classmates, including Richard, as we had no idea if the vampaneze knew that I had an emotional attachment to Richard. We concluded that they were just killing randomly.

"What do we do when - _if - _they attack?" Steve asked.

"We do to them what they did to Tara," Debbie growled before any of the rest of us could answer.

"You think that's wise?" Steve responded. "We know there's more than one of them in operation, but I doubt they'll all turn out to kill a child. Wouldn't it be wiser to trace the attacker back to-"

"Hold on," Debbie interrupted. "Are you saying we let them kill Richard or one of the others?"

"It makes sense. Our primary aim is to-"

Debbie slapped his face before he got any further. "Animal!" she hissed.

Steve stared at her emotionlessly. "I am what I have to be," he said. "We won't stop the vampaneze by being civilized."

"You… you…" She couldn't think of anything dreadful enough to call him.

"He's got a point," Vancha interceded. Debbie turned on him, appalled. "Well, he _has," _Vancha grumbled, dropping his gaze. "I don't like the idea of letting them kill another child, but if it means saving others…"

"No," Debbie said. "No sacrifices. I won't allow it."

"Me neither," I said. Steve stared at me, eyes slightly narrowed. "Richard's my friend. And those people are my classmates," I reminded him.

"Have you an alternative suggestion, then?" Steve asked.

"Injury," Mr Crepsley answered when the rest of us were silent. "We stake out the houses, wait for a vampaneze, then shoot him with an arrow before he strikes. But we do not kill him - we target his legs or arms. Then we follow and, if we are lucky, he will lead us back to his companions."

"I dunno," Vancha muttered. "You, me and Darren can't use those guns - it's not the vampire way - which means we'll have to rely upon the aim of Steve, Harkat and Debbie."

"I won't miss," Steve vowed.

"I won't either," Debbie said.

"Nor me," Harkat added.

"Maybe you won't," Vancha agreed, "but if there are two or more of them, you won't have time to target a second - the arrow guns are single-shooters."

"It is a risk we must take," Mr Crepsley said. "Now, Debbie, you should go to one of these _inferno net _cafés and find the addresses as soon as possible, then get to bed and sleep. We must be ready for action when night comes."

* * *

I sighed, kicking off my shoes and collapsing onto the couch. I was too weary to care about the wiry springs jutting out of the piece of furniture. Strange how one day in school could make me more tired than our nightly hunts. Or maybe I was just tired of everything. There never seemed to be any peace. Not until the Lord of the Vampaneze was eliminated.

"Tired, huh?" Steve asked, removing a warm bottle of water from the non-functional fridge.

"Mmm," I hummed in reply, closing my eyes sleepily. I felt him sit, the couch sinking slightly where my feet was and instinctively drew my knees to my chest. I heard him take quiet sips from the bottle, then the couch shifting as he bent over the armrest to put the bottle down on the ground.

"Darren," he said in a low, husky voice.

"Hmm?" I hummed questioningly, I was already halfway to Dreamland and getting closer by the second. I felt him place his arms on either side of me, the couch sinking where he placed his weight on. I opened my eyes slightly, curious. He was bending over me, a familiar look of lust in his eyes. I watched him, entranced, as he lowered his head to mine and our lips touched.

I rolled onto my back and his chest pressed against mine, his arms coiled around my waist. I sighed, torn between exhaustion and pleasure. He continued his assault with his talented mouth. Then he slipped a hand beneath my shirt. I broke our liplock, gasping in shock.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked.

"I told you, we can't do this. Not when Mr Crepsley and everybody's so near... And I'm tired..." I said, repeating my excuses. He rolled his eyes and groaned. Every time he tried to drive me into a pleasure-filled carnal frenzy, I would protest. I think he was getting tired of my tetchy routine.

"They already know we're together," he argued.

"Yeah, but it'd be rude to, um, make so much noise while they're so near," I muttered. He rolled his eyes some more. Then his eyes softened.

"Time is running out," he told me quietly. "After the hunt for the vampaneze is over, you'll go back to hunting for their Lord, and I... I'll continue wading through life like usual."

"Steve..."

He rested his head against my chest, just above my breasts, and fiddled with the small cross that hung from my neck.

"Steve," I said. "You can come with us, you know."

His head shot up and he stared at me. "Really?" His whole face lit up like a child's on Christmas.

"Of course. You'd be a big help too."

"Really?" he asked again. "I won't be in the way?"

"No, of course not," I frowned, wondering why he had even thought of that.

He laid down at my side, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. "I love you."

"I, um, love you too," I replied, stuttering and spoiling the drama-worthy moment. I could tell Steve was glaring at me without looking.

"Darren. Say it again,"

"I-I love.. you," I stuttered, staring at the ground.

"Again, and look at me while you're saying it,"

"I-"

"I said look at me," I turned my head around, but it was too uncomfortable, so I decided to roll completely over to my side so that I was facing Steve. I took one glance at his face, then turned away in embarassment. He groaned. "I thought you were over this. You managed to say it last time without all the drama." At the mention of it, I thought back to the time I was trying to persuade him that I should tell Debbie about vampires and that I loved him and her too. I blushed, realising a little late what I had said.

"Well, I... guess... not," I muttered. He rolled his eyes.

"How can someone so touchy-feely like you be unable to say something as simple as 'I love you'?" He sighed, then removed his arms from around my waist and placed them at the side of my face, and forced me to look at him.

"Steve-"

"Say it," he commanded. I felt light-headed under his intense stare, and my mouth felt dry. I licked my lips.

"I love you," I said quietly. He smiled.

"Good girl," he said, before pressing his lips to mine briefly, then hugging me closer.

"Hey, Steve?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Um, when I become a full vampire... Can I blood you?" I could feel his whole body tense up. I glanced up at his face worriedly. He had a strange look on his face, one that seemed to convey a million emotions, and yet not one at all. It confused me.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" his voice was a little strained as he said it.

"Do you want to be a vampire?" I asked again, more nervous this time. It was ridiculous that I would feel so insecure about him rejecting my offer, but I did.

"You want to make evil ol' me a vampire?" He was joking now.

"You're not evil,"

"That's not what Mr Crepsley thinks,"

"He's wrong. And I'm a Prince. I can do what I want. He won't try to stop me... much,"

"Really? Can you?" I could hear a sort of wonderment in his voice.

"Of course. This life was meant for you, Steve. It always had been. All I ever wanted was to be a guy," I laughed.

"I'm glad you're a girl,"

"Well... Me too. At least now I am,"

He held me tighter and I burrowed my nose into his chest, getting comfortable as I fell deeper into unconsciousness. In my dreamy state, I sort of noticed that Steve wasn't asleep. He seemed to be brooding deeply about something.

If only I'd paid attention to this strange behavior, maybe things might have been different, but I was far too tired to do so, nor even care.

And I didn't know just how much I'd regret that decision until late the coming Saturday.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know, the necklace idea was kind of lame. But I wanted some kind of symbolism of Steve and Darren's feelings. That, you know, if one wears it, it means there's still love on one side. Or something like that.

And I really like matching pendants.

Like, _really like_.

Thanks for reading. Review please?


	5. Chapter 5 Exposure

Disclaimer: I don't own Darren Shan. You know why? Because I _hate_ spiders. If I see one, I kill it just to make sure it can't come near me ever again.

A/N: Did a lot of cutting and paste-ing for this chapter. Just so it seems clearer. Spoiler alert, for those of you haven't read Book Eight (Allies of The Night) of the Darren Shan Saga.

Kinda wanted to name this chapter 'Shit hits the fan' but it seemed to lack elegance, and was inappropriate. So... Exposure.

Btw, thanks for all your sweet reviews! I love reading them. They make me want to write even more, and better. So the more reviews = the more updates?

* * *

Chapter 5 Exposure

Hooky tore across the roofs of Mr Crepsley childhood city. We chased him intently. His speed had slowed considerably due to Harkat having injured him with an arrow when he came to prey on Richard and his family.

The humans and Harkat followed us by ground, while us vampires tailed him closely on the roofs.

He slipped off the roofs, and we chased him to a manhole, where he disappeared underground. We followed, Vancha and Steve leading us.

At one point, Steve reached behind and held my hand. I was surprised by the gesture, but it made me happy at the same time. The others pretended not to notice.

We kept going deeper and deeper into the tunnels, and we were afraid that Hooky might make a break for freedom by flitting. But instead, he went further down into the never ending maze of tunnels.

I was surprised. I'd no idea the tunnels ran this deep, and couldn't imagine what they were used for - they were modern in design, and showed no signs of having been used. As I was pondering this, Hooky stopped in some cave-type room up ahead.

We were wary of a trap at first, but decided to go after him, even Debbie. I admired her bravery, her amazing will to fight for her fellow humans, despite the obvious fear for her life.

"For Tara," she said, and her trembling ceased.

"Steve and Debbie will keep to the back," Vancha said, loosening a few of his shurikens. "Larten and I will lead. Darren and Harkat in the middle." Everybody nodded obediently.

Steve let go of my hand, much to my disappointment. My hand felt cold and empty as soon as his fingers left it. It must have shown on my face, if Steve's smirk was any indication. I quickly arranged my features into a mask of apathy, but it was too late. I glared at him, but even as I turned around, the smirk remained on his face.

He slapped my behind. I yelped in surprise, attracting everyone's attention. He continued to grin infuriatingly. I elbowed him in the ribs. He gasped in pain.

"You two! Enough playing around!" Vancha snapped.

"Sorry, Vancha," Steve and I intoned simultaneously. Vancha glared at us, Mr Crepsley sighed disgustedly.

Steve and I glanced at each other and nearly burst out laughing. I felt a deep sense of Deja Vu. It felt like we were twelve year olds again. Annoying the hell out of teachers and then trying to talk our way through their accusations.

Then we sobered, remembering where we were and what we were going to do.

Vancha advanced, the rest of us following closely, and we entered a large, domed room. Hooky stood in the middle, alone yet confident.

"The game's over," Vancha said.

"Think so?" Hooky snorted and looked up at us with his one red eye and one blue-green. "_I_ think it's only beginning," The vampaneze clashed his hooks together. Once. Twice. Three times.

And someone dropped from the ceiling. Someone with a purple face and blood-red eyes.

Then someone else dropped. Another. More.

I counted nine vampaneze and fourteen vampets, not including Hooky. We'd walked into a trap. And man, we would need all the luck of the vampires to get out of this one.

It was just that I was thinking this that four more vampaneze emerged from the huge door behind Hooky. That made it twenty-eight to six. We hadn't a hope.

That is, until Vancha gave a 'shame on you' talk to the vampaneze regarding their use of vampets and guns. The vampets laid down their weapons by order of the vampaneze. I tried not to grin. Vancha winked at us.

Then he faced the vampaneze again. "Before we start," he said, "I'd like to know what manner of creature this thing with the hooks is."

"I'm a vampaneze!" Hooky replied indignantly.

"Really?" Vancha smirked. "I've never seen one with mismatched eyes before."

Hooky's eyes twitched exploratively. "Damn!" he shouted. "It must have slipped out when I fell."

"What slipped out?" Vancha asked.

"A contact lens," I answered softly. "He's wearing red contact lenses."

"No I'm not!" Hooky yelled. "That's a lie! Tell them, Bargen. My eyes are as red as yours and my skin's as purple."

The vampaneze to Hooky's left shuffled his feet with embarrassment. "He _is _a vampaneze," he said, "but he's only been recently blooded. He wanted to look like the rest of us, so he wears contacts and …"

Bargen coughed into a fist. "He paints his face and body purple."

"Traitor!" Hooky howled. He was so pathetic that I felt the need to cross the room and pat him on the back comfortingly. I didn't of course. Self-preservation same first.

Bargen looked up at him, disgusted, then spat into the dust of the floor as Vancha had moments before.

"What has the world come to when the vampaneze blood maniacs like this and recruit humans to fight for them?"

Vancha asked quietly and there was no mockery in his voice - it was a genuine, puzzled query.

"Times change," Bargen answered. "We don't like the changes, but we accept them. Our Lord has said it must be so."

"This is what the great Lord of the Vampaneze has brought to his people?" Vancha barked. "Human thugs and crazy, hook-handed monsters?"

"I'm not crazy!" Hooky shouted. "Except crazy with rage!" He pointed at me and snarled. "And it's all _her _fault."

Vancha turned and stared at me, as did everybody else in the room.

"Darren?"Mr Crepsley asked quietly.

"I don't know what he's talking about," I said, frowning. I stared at the handless creature before me, more confused than ever.

"Liar!" Hooky laughed and started dancing. "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

"Do you know this _creature?_" Mr Crepsley enquired.

"No," I insisted. "The first time I saw him was when he attacked me in the alley. I never-"

"Lies!" Hooky screamed, then stopped dancing and glared at me. "Pretend all you like, man, but you know who I am. And you know what you did to drive me to this." He held up his arms, so the hooks glinted in the light of the candles.

"Honestly," I swore, "I haven't a clue what you're on about."

"No?" he sneered. "It's easy to lie to a mask. Let's see _if _you can stick to your lie when faced with-" he removed the balaclava with one quick sweep of his left hooks, revealing his face "-_this_!"

It was a round, heavy, bearded face, smeared with purple paint. For a few seconds I couldn't place it. Then, putting it together with the missing hands, and the familiarity of the voice that I'd previously noted, I nailed him. "_Reggie Veggie_?" I gasped.

"Don't call me that!" he shrieked. "It's _R.V _. - and it stands for Righteous Vampaneze!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. R.V. was a man I'd run into not long after joining the Cirque Du Freak, an eco-warrior who'd devoted his life to the protection of the countryside. We'd been friends until he found me killing animals to feed the Little People. He set out to free the Wolf Man - he thought we were mistreating him - but the savage beast bit his arms off. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been fleeing into the night, screaming loudly, "My hands! My hands!"

Now he was here. With the vampaneze. And I began to understand why I'd been set up and who was behind it. "_You _sent those forms to Mahler's!" I accused him.

He grinned slyly, then shook his head. "With hands like these?" He waved the hooks at me. "They're good for chopping and slicing and gutting, but not for writing. I played my part to get you down here, but it was one with a lot more cunning than me who dreamt the plan up."

"I don't understand," Vancha interrupted. "Who is this lunatic?"

"It's a long story," I said. "I'll tell you later."

"Optimistic to the last," Vancha chuckled.

I stepped closer to R.V., ignoring the threat of the vampaneze and vampets, until I was only a meter or so away. I studied his face silently. He fidgeted but didn't back off. "What happened to you?" I asked, appalled. "You loved life. You were gentle and kind. You were a vegetarian!"

"Not any more," R.V. chuckled. "I eat plenty of meat now and I like it _bloody _!" His smile faded. "_You _happened to me, you and your band of freaks. You ruined my life, man. I wandered the world, alone, frightened, defenceless, until the vampaneze took me in. They gave me strength. They equipped me with new hands. In turn, I helped give them _you _."

I shook my head sadly. "You're wrong. They haven't made you strong. They've turned you into an abomination."

His face darkened. "Take that back! Take that back or I'll-"

"Before this goes any further," Vancha interrupted dryly, "could I ask one more question? It's my final one." R.V. stared at him in silence. "If _you _didn't set us up, who did?" R.V. said nothing. Nor did the other vampaneze. "Come on!" Vancha shouted. "Don't be shy. Who's the clever boy?"

The silence held a few moments more. Then, from behind us, somebody said in a soft, wicked voice, "_I _am."

I whirled around to see who'd spoken. So did Vancha, Harkat and Mr Crepsley. But Debbie didn't whirl, because she was standing still, a knife pressed to the soft flesh of her throat. And Steve Leopard didn't whirl either, because he was standing beside her - _holding the knife_!

We gaped wordlessly at the pair. I blinked twice, slowly, thinking maybe that would restore sanity to the world. But it didn't. Steve was still there, holding his knife on Debbie, grinning darkly.

"Steve. What are you doing?" I asked, completely in denial. He turned to me, and smirked that same smirk that always irritated me.

"Take off your gloves," Mr Crepsley said, his voice strained. "Take them off and show us your hands."

Steve smiled knowingly, then put the fingertips of his left hand - which was wrapped around Debbie's throat - to his mouth, gripped the ends of the glove with his teeth, and pulled his hand free. The first thing my eyes went to was the cross carved into the flesh of his palm, the cross he'd made the night he vowed to track me down and kill me. Then my eyes slid from his palm to the end of his fingers, and I understood why Mr Crepsley had asked him to remove the glove.

There were five small scars running along his fingertips - the sign that he was a creature of the night. But Steve hadn't been blooded by a vampire. He'd been blooded by one of the others. _He was a half-vampaneze_!

Okay, I can't lie. That _hurt_. It hurt more than losing my virginity. It hurt more than having my thumb sliced off. My stomach dropped below sea level, and there was this sharp pain in my chest that throbbed. And my throat closed up, making it difficult to breathe.

I forgot about the vampaneze and vampets and focused entirely on Steve. My best friend. The boy whose life I'd saved. The man I'd welcomed back with open arms. I'd vouched for him. Trusted him. Fell in love with him. Gave him my first kiss, my first time _doing it_, my first, well, everything. Included him in our plans. Even made future plans with him.

And all along he'd been plotting against us.

I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating, then I focused on Debbie and tried to control myself. All the while, Steve watched my expressions of hurt with glee.

I couldn't register the rest of the conversation that was going on. I hazily remember hearing Mr Crepsley asking something about how he knew, how he did it. But I just couldn't concentrate.

Then the talking ceased. Behind us, the vampaneze and vampets advanced. Vancha, Mr Crepsley and Harkat spun to face their challenge. I didn't. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Steve and Debbie. She was weeping, but holding herself steady, looking appealingly in my direction.

"_Why_?" I croaked.

"Why what?" Steve replied.

"Why do you hate us? We did nothing to hurt you."

"_He _said I was evil!" Steve howled, nodding at Mr Crepsley, who didn't turn to remonstrate with him. "And _you _chose his side over mine. You set that spider on me and tried to kill me."

"No! I saved you. I gave up everything so that you could live."

"Nonsense," he snorted. "I know what really happened. You plotted with him against me, so you could take my rightful place among the vampires. You were jealous of me."

"Oh _God_," I moaned, resisting the urge to slap my forehead in frustration. "Why do you never listen? Why can't you understand?"

"I understand perfectly," he responded.

"No, you don't!" I snapped. "If you understood, then you would know that this is absolutely crazy! You don't know what-"

"Save it!" Steve interrupted. "I'm not interested. Besides, here comes the guest of honour - a man I'm sure you're all just _dying _to meet."

I didn't want to turn away from Steve, but I had to see what he was talking about. Looking over my shoulder, I saw two vague shapes behind the massed vampaneze and vampets. Vancha, Mr Crepsley and Harkat were ignoring Steve's jibes and the pair at the back, concentrating instead on the foes directly in front of them, warding off their early testing jabs. Then the vampaneze parted slightly and I had a clear view of the two behind them.

"Vancha!" I shouted.

"What?" he snapped.

"At the rear - it's …" I licked my lips. The taller of the pair had spotted me and was gazing at me with a neutral, inquisitive expression. The other was dressed in dark green robes, his face covered by a hood.

"Who?" Vancha shouted, knocking aside a vampets blade with his bare hands.

"It's your brother, Gannen Harst," I said quietly and Vancha stopped fighting. So did Mr Crepsley and Harkat. And so, puzzled, did the vampaneze.

Vancha stood to his fullest height and stared over the heads of those in front of him. Gannen Harst's eyes left mine and locked on Vancha's. The brothers stared at each other. Then Vancha's gaze switched to the person in the robes and hood - the Lord of the Vampaneze!

Without warning, Vancha went after the Lord of the Vampaneze, Mr Crepsley and Harkat hot on his heels. But I didn't follow them. I couldn't. Instead, swivelling away from the battle, praying that Steve had been distracted by the sudden outbreak, I sent a knife flying towards him. It wasn't intended to hit - I couldn't risk striking Debbie - just to make him duck.

It worked. Startled by the swiftness of my move, Steve jerked his head behind Debbie's for protection. His left arm loosened around her throat, and his right hand - holding the knife - dropped a fraction. As I raced forward, I knew the momentary swing of fortune wasn't enough - he'd still have time to recover and kill Debbie before I reached him. But then Debbie, acting like a trained warrior, dug her left elbow sharply back into Steve's ribs, and broke free of his hold, throwing herself to the floor.

Before Steve could dive after her, I was on him. I grabbed him around the waist and propelled him backwards into the wall. He connected harshly and cried out. Stepping away from him, I sent my right fist smashing into the side of his face. The force of the blow knocked him down. It also nearly broke a couple of small bones in my fingers, but that didn't bother me. Falling upon him, I grabbed his ears, pulled his head up, then smashed it down on the hard concrete floor. He grunted and the lights went out in his eyes. He was dazed and defenceless - mine for the taking.

My hand went for the hilt of my sword. Then I saw Steve's own knife lying close beside his head, and decided it would be more fitting to kill him with that. Picking it up, I positioned it above his dark, monstrous heart and prodded through the material of his shirt to make sure he wasn't protected by a breastplate or some other such armour. Then I raised the knife high above my head and brought it down slowly, determined to strike the mark and put an end to the life of my soul mate.

But I couldn't do it. Of course not. The damage had been done. It was probably all in his plans as well, for me to fall in love with him to the point that losing him would hurt me too. Disgusted, I pulled the small cross off from my neck, breaking the clasp and flung it onto the floor. The metal made a distinctive clanging noise as it hit the floor.

I turned around, looking for Debbie, and stopped when I saw R.V. holding her as Steve had, the hooks of his golden right hand pressed up into the flesh of her jaw and drawing blood from it.

"R.V." I said through gritted teeth. "Let her go."

"Or what, man?" he taunted me. I reached down and grabbed the front of Steve's shirt.

"Or he dies," I replied.

He laughed, and keeping Debbie in front of him, he edged towards the exit at the opposite side of the room, skirting the vampaneze.

"What are you doing?" I shouted, moving forward.

"Stay back!" he shouted at me, his hooks pressing deeper into her neck. I stopped.

"Let her go," I said quietly, desperately.

"No," he snarled.

"Please," I gasped out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what happened to you, and that I didn't go after you to help you. But please. Let her go."

"No," he replied. "I'm taking her. If you try to stop me, I'll kill her."

"I'll kill Steve if you do."

He laughed. "I don't care for Steve as much as you care for precious little Debbie. In fact, I don't care for Steve as much as _you_ do," I winced at his words, pained by just how true they were. "But I'll sacrifice my friend if you'll sacrifice yours. How about it, Shan?"

I studied Debbie's round, terrified eyes, then took a step back, clearing the way for R.V. to pass. "Wise move," he grunted, easing past, not turning his back on me.

"If you harm her…" I sobbed.

"I won't," he said. "Not for the time being. I want to see you squirm before I do. But if you kill Steve or come after me…" His cold, mismatched eyes told me what would happen. Laughing, the hook-handed monster slipped past the vampaneze, then past Gannen Harst and his Lord, vanishing into the gloomy darkness of the tunnel beyond, taking Debbie with him, leaving me and the others to the mercy of the vampaneze.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, this chapter was more of the book than actual writing, but it seemed better that way. I didn't want to cut this part short because it was really important.

Review please, please?


	6. Chapter 6 Worst Plot Development Ever

Disclaimer: I don't think I would have let a certain character die had I been the author of the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak.

A/N: A series of flashbacks for this chapter, because I don't want to over-do the summary thing anymore. Plus, one more chapter and we branch off completely from the original series. Well, sort of.

As you can tell from the title, I really don't like character deaths. I refused to continue reading the series for about a month after, er, some person died. (SPOILER ALERT!) I know that they're necessary, but I really don't like them.

This is a little off-topic, but thanks to MK for your review. I couldn't reply to you, because you weren't using a ff . net account, but your review made me feel warm and fuzzy all the same. And thanks to everyone else who reviewed too! Reviews are good motivators. And sources of heat (Warm and fuzzy!).

* * *

Chapter 6 The Worst Plot Development Ever

We got to the fifth floor and entered the apartment. I did my best not to acknowledge the existence of the threadbare couch in the middle of the room. I went straight to the non-functioning fridge and opened it.

"Anyone hungry or thirsty?" I asked.

"I'll have a steak - extra bloody - fries and a Coke to go," Steve quipped. He'd made himself comfortable on the couch, and was smiling around at us as though we were one big happy family.

I ignored him. "Mr Crepsley? Harkat?"

"Water, please," Mr Crepsley said.

I took out two bottles of water, reflecting on how we'd gotten here.

_

* * *

"I tire of needless bloodshed. Shall we strike a deal?" Gannen Harst said._

_"What sort of a deal?" Vancha grunted, trying to hide his bewilderment._

_"It would be easier for us to slaughter you in the larger tunnels beyond this one."_

_"You want us to make your job easier for you?" Vancha laughed harshly._

_"Let me finish," Gannen continued. "If we attack you here, our losses will be great, but all four of you will certainly die. If, on the other hand, we were to give you a head start..." He trailed off into silence, then spoke again. "Fifteen minutes, Vancha. Leave your hostages - you can move more quickly without them - and flee. For fifteen minutes, nobody will follow. You have my word,"_

* * *

Ignoring what Gannen said, we took Steve and another vampet with us as shields, and ended up back here at our 'base'. Vancha made himself busy interrogating the vampet while the three of us waited in the other apartment. I tried to block out the human vampet's continuous screams, but had little success in doing so.

I took out some food from the fridge and made a hasty meal out of it for us. It wasn't long until Harkat and Mr Crepsley tucked into it and soon we were finishing off the last of the crumbs.

We ignored Steve, offering none to him.

As we were tending to our wounds, I put a hand to my neck, repeating an action that I'd done many times in the last few days, only to find it bare. Belatedly, I realized that I'd left the cross back in the cavern and sighed, feeling a trickle of regret.

Looking up, I realized that Steve was grinning at me mockingly. I stared back hatefully. "How long did it take to set this up?" I asked. "Getting us here, arranging those false papers for me and sending me to school, luring us down the tunnels - how long?"

"Years," he replied proudly. "It wasn't easy. You don't know the half of it. That cavern where the trap was set - we built it from scratch, along with the tunnels leading in and out of it. There's one I'm especially proud of. I hope I have the chance to show it to you some time."

"You went to all this trouble just for us?" Mr Crepsley asked, startled, but I wasn't really listening.

I felt woozy. Lightheaded. None of this felt real. None of it felt like a dream, either. It just felt... surreal. I shook my head, trying to clear my blurred focus.

Then I noticed Steve shrugging off his heavy jacket. Strong chemical odors wafted off him. My stomach rolled with nausea. I felt sick, thinking of how I actually liked that smell.

"He's not shivering any more," Harkat said suddenly.

"Of course not," Steve said. "That was all for show."

"You have the slyness of a demon," Mr Crepsley grunted. "By claiming to be susceptible to colds, you were able to wear gloved to hide your fingertip scars, and douse yourself in sickly-smelling lotions to mask your vampaneze stench."

My mind flashed back to the first time we'd slept together, and how he didn't take off his gloves, as well as when he had joined me in the shower, then almost immediately jumped out and put his guise back on. Everything was an act. A lie.

Steve laughed. "Tricked you all, didn't it?" He turned and grinned at me. "I'm surprised you didn't find out. Out of everyone, you were the biggest risk. The one likeliest to find out. After all, we spent the most time together in close proximity," He winked at me. I grabbed the empty plastic bottle near me and hurled it at him in my rage. He caught it with ease and set it aside.

"The smell was the difficult bit," he went on. "I knew your sensitive noses would sniff my blood out, so I had to distract them," He pulled a face. "But it hasn't been easy. My sense of smell is also highly developed, so the fumes have played havoc with my sinuses. The headaches are awful."

"I hope you die from a headache, you asshole," I snarled, images of me rubbing that lotion in his face appearing in my mind. He laughed delightedly. He was having a great time, even though he was our prisoner. I glared at him, knowing that Debbie probably wasn't having as fantastic a time. In fact, she was probably suffering greatly. I bit my lip, replaying the scenes in the tunnels, regretting that I'd gone after Steve instead of protecting her.

Steve was still grinning at me, reveling in my pain.

"You won't be grinning if R.V. refuses to trade Debbie for you," I told him.

"True enough," he admitted. "But I live only to see you and Creepy Crepsley suffer. I could die happy knowing the torment you'll endure if R.V. carves up your darling teacher girlfriend.

"How did you get so... twisted?" I asked, appalled and puzzled at the same time. "You didn't use to be like this. Sure, you were always pretty untamed, but not... this." I gestured to him.

Steve's face darkened. "I was betrayed," he said quietly.

I rolled my eyes and muttered a string of curses underneath my breath.

"How many times do I have to tell you this?" I asked him. "I didn't betray you! Why would I? You were my best friend. I gave up everything so you could live. I didn't want to become a half-vampire. I-"

"Shut it!" Steve snapped. "Torture me if you wish, but don't insult me with lies. I know you plotted with Creepy Crepsley to spite-"

"No, you shut it! I didn't even know the guy, why would I plot with-" Mr Crepsley lifted an eye at me but said nothing.

"I could have been a vampire, powerful, long-living, majestic!" he continued, raising his voice to be heard. "But you left me as a human, to shuffle through a pitifully short life, weak and afraid like everybody else-"

"There is nothing wrong with everybody else!" I argued.

"Then why aren't you one of them?" he roared.

"Because I chose to save your life!" I snarled back.

"Lies!" he shouted back. "You know I'd rather have been dead than have to endure seeing you take what is rightfully mine! Well, guess what? I outsmarted you! I tracked down those in the other camp and gained my rightful powers and privileges anyway!"

"For all the good it has done you," Mr Crepsley snorted.

"What do you mean?" Steve snapped.

"You have wasted your life on hatred and revenge," Mr Crepsley said. "What good is life if there is no joy or creative purpose? You would have been better off living five years as a human than five hundred as a monster."

"I'm no monster!" Steve snarled. "I'm …" He stopped and growled something to himself. "Enough of this crap," he declared aloud. "You're boring me. If you haven't anything more intelligent to say, keep your mouths shut."

"Impudent cur!" Mr Crepsley roared, and swung the back of his hand across Steve's cheek, drawing blood. Steve sneered at the vampire, wiped the blood off with his fingers, then put them to his lips.

"One night soon, it'll be _your _blood I dine on," he whispered, then lapsed into silence.

Exasperated and weary, Mr Crepsley, Harkat and I also fell silent. We finished cleaning our wounds, then lay back and relaxed. If we'd been alone, we'd have dozed off - but none of us dared shut our eyes with a destructive beast like Steve Leopard in the room.

As I lay back against the wall to one side of the room, I noticed Steve staring intently at me. It wasn't in a mocking way, but every time I caught him doing so, he turned away. I tried to ignore it, but it unnerved me.

* * *

It was more than an hour before Vancha was done. The dirty work had been done, and Vancha looked tired to the bone. Vancha explained that the reason the vampaneze hadn't killed us though they had ample opportunity to do so was that only their Lord could do so, or the vampaneze clan was bound to fail. It was, of course, another prediction by Mr Tiny.

"How come they didn't kill _you_?" I asked Harkat. "You're not one of the three hunters."

"Maybe they don't know that," Harkat said.

Steve muttered something beneath his breath.

"What was that?" Vancha shouted, prodding him sharply with his left foot.

"I said we didn't know before, but we do now!" Steve jeered. "At least," he added sulkily, "_I _know."

"You did not know who the hunters were?" Mr Crepsley asked.

Steve shook his head. "We knew there were three of you, and Mr Tiny told us that one would be a child, so we had Darren pegged straight off. But when five of you turned up - you three, Harkat and Debbie - we weren't sure about the others. We guessed the hunters would be vampires, but we didn't want to take unnecessary chances."

I tried not to feel offended that I had been called a child.

"Is that why you pretended to be our ally?" I asked. "You wanted to get close to us, to figure out who the hunters were?"

"That was part of it," Steve nodded, "although mostly I just wanted to toy with you. It was fun, getting so close that I could kill you whenever I wished, delaying the fatal blow until the time was right. Not to mention that," he grinned at me lecherously. "I got a kick out of doing my most hated enemy."

"I'll show you a kick!" I snapped, scrambling to my feet. Harkat pulled me down before I could do some damage. I just barely restrained myself.

"He's a fool," Vancha snorted. "Anyone who wouldn't strike his foe dead at the first opportunity is asking for trouble."

"Steve Leonard is many things," Mr Crepsley said, "but not foolish." He rubbed the long scar on the left side of his face, thinking deeply. "You thought this plan through most thoroughly, did you not?" he asked Steve.

"I sure did," Steve smirked.

"You accounted for every possible twist and turn?"

"As many as I could imagine."

Mr Crepsley stopped stroking his scar and his eyes narrowed. "Then you must have considered what would happen if we escaped."

Steve's smile widened but he said nothing.

* * *

I climbed through the rafters, stopping at a cell every few minutes, checking if my friends were there.

Thanks to Steve and his stupid - okay, it wasn't stupid, but it seemed that way in my rage - scheming skills, we got arrested by the police and were now suspects of the highest degree, presumed to be responsible for a series of murders done by the vampaneze.

Which is, you know, _great_.

At least Vancha had gotten away, taking the Chief Inspector with him as a shield.

I tried not to think about the innocent guard and nurses Steve had murdered in the hospital wing he was detained, having been our traumatised 'hostage'. I sighed inwardly, wondering where my Steve, the Steve I had known had gone. And wondering if I could ever find him again. I shook my head. He was my enemy. _Enemy!_ I should be thinking of how to _kill_ him, not of saving him!

But I couldn't kill him. I already knew I couldn't.

So what was I going to do?

I tried not to think about that at so crucial a moment.

I continued navigating my way among the rafters, deeply uncomfortable but acceptably so.

_

* * *

"When we venture down the tunnels __tonight, Steve Leonard is not our primary enemy - the Lord of the Vampaneze is. If the chance to kill Leonard arises, by all means seize it. But if you have to choose between him and the Lord he serves, strike first for the latter. We must put our personal feelings aside and focus on our mission." Harkat nodded in agreement with the vampire, but I hesitated, knowing from experience that I couldn't kill Steve anyway. Mr Crepsley noticed my hesitation. "Darren?" he prompted, lifting an eyebrow._

"_Yes?" I studied a spot on the floor, doing my best not to look at my mentor._

"_Are you listening to me?"_

_I didn't reply at first, but then I sighed, knowing I had to come clean. "Before, in the tunnels..." I started, then swallowed a lump that had mysteriously appeared in my throat. "I, um, had a chance to kill Steve. But I didn't. Wouldn't. Couldn't." I started drawing circles in the ground with my index finger guiltily._

_I heard Mr Crepsley sigh beside me. "I see. I suspected as much."_

_I lifted my head slightly to peek at my orange-haired mentor. He was looking at me pityingly. _

"_You did, after all, love him very much. Still do, yes?" I nodded. "But you understand that your feelings for him must not stand in the way of the mission?"_

"_Yes," I said miserably._

"_And you understand that this applies to Debbie also?"_

"_Yes. But I can't make any guarantees... In the heat of the moment, my heart might control my body before my head does. It's been doing that more and more lately."_

_"But you know what you should do?" he pressed. "You understand how important your choice is?"_

_"Yes," I whispered._

_"That is enough," he said. "I trust you to make the right choice."_

_I cocked an eyebrow. "You sound more like Seba Nile with every passing year," I commented dryly._

_Seba was the vampire who'd taught Mr Crepsley the ways of the clan._

_"I will take that as a compliment," he smiled, then lay back, closed his eyes, and rested in silence, leaving me to think about Steve, Debbie and the Lord of the Vampaneze, and contemplate the desperate choice I might be called upon to make._

* * *

Shapes of red, yellow and orange blazed before us. In the midst of it, wooden stakes jutted out of the pit. Any other day, I might have found it awe-inspiring. The vibrant colors dancing around the dangerous spears projecting out of the ground. But it's beauty was marred by the two black shapes burning in the middle of the pit. A heavy shadow of burning and death hung over the cave.

Debbie and Alice had left the Cave of Retribution moments before, Debbie too shaken to stay any longer. I wanted to comfort her, make her feel better, but I didn't even know how to make myself feel better. In fact, I don't even think I had accepted my mentor's death. I stood by the pit, staring at the flickering flames before me, willing the tears to fall. None came. Vancha and Harkat hovered beside me, worried and grieving.

Mr Crepsley. My mentor. My guardian. My father. And I couldn't even grieve him. It was like that feeling of nausea before you throw up. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't regurgitate my tears. So I was stuck with an intense discomfort within me, a feeling of emptiness and helplessness.

The cavern was quieter now. Almost all the vampaneze and vampets had exited. Only a last few stragglers remained. Among them were Gannen Harst and a grinning Steve Leopard, who couldn't resist ambling over for one last mocking laugh.

"What's that cooking on the fire, boys?" he asked, putting up his hands as if to warm them.

"Go away," I said blankly, "or I'll kill you."

Steve's face dropped and he glared at me. "It's your own fault," he pouted. "If you hadn't betrayed me-"

I swung my sword up, meaning to cut him in two. Vancha swatted it aside with the flat of his hand before I drew blood. "No," he said, stepping between us. "If you kill him, the others will return and kill us. Let it drop. We'll get him later."

"Wise words, brother," Gannen Harst said, stepping up beside Vancha. His face was drawn. "There's been enough killing. We-"

"Get lost!" Vancha snapped.

Harst's expression darkened. "Don't speak to me like-"

"I won't warn you again," Vancha growled.

The ex-protector of the Vampaneze Lord bristled angrily, then raised his hands peacefully and backed away from his brother.

Steve didn't follow.

"I want to tell her," the half-vampaneze said, eyes pinned on me.

"No!" Gannen Harst hissed. "You mustn't! Not now! You-"

"I _want _to _tell _her," Steve said again, more forcefully this time.

Harst cursed beneath his breath, glanced from one of us to the other, then nodded tensely. "Very well. But over to one side, where nobody else can hear."

"What are you up to now?" Vancha asked suspiciously.

"You'll find out," Steve giggled, taking hold of my left elbow.

I shrugged him off. "Keep away from me, monster!" I spat.

"Now, now," he said. "Don't be hasty. I've news I'm bursting to tell you."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Oh, but you do," he insisted. "You'll kick yourself from here to the moon if you don't come and listen."

"Go away, Steve."

For a moment, there was silence, and I thought I'd finally been allowed to grieve by myself. But no such luck, as Steve wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me away from the edge of the pit. I snarled wildly, and almost lashed out at my ex-lover, but the look in his eyes stopped me.

Vancha stepped forward to help me, but Gannen held out a hand to stop him.

"If you hurt her…" Vancha warned them.

"We won't," Harst promised, then stopped and shielded us with his body from the view of the rest when Steve had dragged me out of earshot of the others.

"We've come a long way, haven't we, Darren?" he remarked. "From the classroom at home to this Cavern of Retribution. From humanity to vampirism and vampanizm. From the day to the night."

"You dragged me all the way here to reminisce?" I asked disbelievingly, giving him a sarcastic look.

"I used to think it could have been different," he said softly, eyes distant, ignoring me. "But now I think it was always meant to be this way. It was your destiny to betray me and form an alliance with the vampires, your fate to become a Vampire Princess-" I winced automatically at that word. "-and lead the hunt for the Vampaneze Lord. Just as it was my destiny to find my own path into the night and…"

He stopped and a sly expression crept over his face. "Hold her," he grunted, and Gannen Harst grabbed my arms and held me rooted to the spot. "Are you ready to send her sleepy-byes?"

"Yes," Harst said. "But hurry, before the others intervene."

"Your wish is my command," Steve smiled, then put his lips close to my right ear and whispered something terrible… something that turned my world on its head and would haunt my every waking and sleeping moment from that instant on.

As he drew away, having tormented me with his devastating secret, I opened my mouth wide to shout the news to Vancha. Before I could utter a syllable, Gannen Harst breathed over me, the knock-out gas of the vampires and vampaneze. As the fumes filled my lungs, the world around me faded, and then I was falling, unconscious, into the tortured sleep of the damned.

The last thing I heard before I blacked out was Steve, laughing hysterically - the sound of a victorious demon cackling.

* * *

In my sleep I dreamed of a different world. One where Steve and I had never met vampires and vampaneze. A world where I wore a white dress and wasn't totally disgusted by it. He took away the bundle of flowers in my hands, setting them aside. Then I felt the unmistakable sensation of metal meeting bare skin. He drew a veil of white lace over my face, then kissed me softly, probably the first time he'd done so since I'd met him.

We broke away finally, and I rested my head against his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head.

I drew away from him as a small figure bounded towards us. Laughing, I bent down and picked up a little grey-haired child and kissed him on the cheek. He retaliated half-heartedly, but I knew he didn't mind as much he claimed to.

Before I could look into the face of the child to see whose features he'd inherited, he melted into nothingness, as did the man standing behind me. The beautiful white realm we'd inhabited was replaced by a land lit by fire.

I looked around and opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Behind me, a loud thud could be heard. I turned and came face to face with the Lord of the Shadows. He was everything I'd remembered. Scary. Frightening. _Evil_. He laughed at me hysterically as I gaped at him. A laugh that sounded so familiar it caused my whole body to spasm with pain.

* * *

I gasped as I woke up, deeply disoriented. My whole body was tense and sweaty from my nightmare, and I was panting. I glanced around, wondering where I was. Chandeliers burned dimly above me. I groaned and sat up, looking for a familiar crop of orange hair to ask him where I was.

Then I remembered.

I instantly looked to the pit, only to see the charred, unrecognizable remains of Mr Crepsley and the half-vampaneze. I clambered to my feet and nearly fell over again. Vancha and Harkat stood by the side of the pit, silently mourning.

"How long was I out?" I shouted, hastily lurching towards the tunnel leading out of the cave, but my already weak knees gave way beneath me and I fell.

"Take it easy," Vancha said, wrapping a supportive arm around my waist.

"_How long?_" I repeated, much louder this time.

"Three hours, maybe more," Vancha shrugged. I gaped at him. Then groaned frustratedly. With flitting speed they'd be halfway to the other side of the world by now.

"Why? How?" I sputtered. "The gas... It should have only knocked me out for fifteen or twenty minutes."

"You were exhausted," Vancha said. "It's been a long twenty-four hours."

I shook my head mutely, disgusted. I rubbed the back of my head. My neck felt heavier than usual. I looked down and saw my small cross hanging from my neck once again, a final mocking gift from Steve. I felt tempted to rip it off and throw it into the fire, but there wasn't much of a fire left to destroy it, and I didn't want to leave something of me and Steve with Mr Crepsley's burnt body.

I was only partially aware of what I was saying after that. That the man in the pit wasn't the Vampaneze Lord. That Mr Crepsley had died in vain. That the Lord of the Vampaneze still lived.

I didn't want to tell them the rest, not coming so hot on the heels of Mr Crepsley's death and news of the Vampaneze Lord's escape. I'd have spared them this extra blow if I could. But they had to be warned. In case something happened to me, they had to be told, so they could spread the word and carry on without me if necessary.

"I know who he is," I whispered emotionlessly. "Steve told me. He broke the big secret. Harst didn't want him to, but he did it anyway, to hurt me that little bit more, as if Mr Crepsley's death wasn't bad enough."

"He told you who the… Vampaneze Lord is?" Harkat gasped.

I nodded.

"Who?" Vancha shouted, leaping to his feet. "Which one of those scum sends others to do his dirty work for him? Tell me and I'll-"

"It's Steve," I said, and Vancha's strength deserted him. Slumping to the floor, he gazed at me in horror. Harkat too. "It's Steve," I said again, feeling empty and scared inside. Wetting my lips, focusing on the flames, I said the whole terrible truth out loud. "_Steve Leopard is the Lord of the Vampaneze."_

After that there was only silence, burning and despair.

* * *

A/N: A long chapter, full of lines from the original book. Sorry about that. All we have left is a brief description of what happened in searching for Harkat's identity (Book ten) and I can stop with the over-quoting.

Review please, please, please?

(I think there's a pattern starting here...)


	7. Chapter 7 Abduction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak. Why? Because... Well... I like dragons. Very much. So I would have let the Lord of the Shadows come into existence, just so I could throw some dragons into the plot.

**A/N:** I didn't really want to start this, but since I kind of did it last chapter, I guess I'll just keep doing it. Thanks to Jixa15, who reviewed my first chapter and the next few after that! It really made me happy. And special thanks to redmistrox, oceancat, MK, S.L. Gibbs, monique and malicious strangler for their reviews. It gave me a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings.

Okay, I don't mean to spoil the happy thanks with this warning, but there's a sort-of rape scene in this chapter. As of June 2012 it has been toned down.

* * *

_Chapter 7: Abduction_

I sat up abruptly, squeaking and gasping as I jolted awake. A hand clamped down over my mouth and I lashed out wildly.

"Darren, it's okay," Harkat shushed me soothingly. I stopped thrashing wildly and he let me go.

I sighed and wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Here," he handed me a mug of water and I drunk deeply from it. "Thanks," I smiled weakly at him. He looked at me in concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked me worriedly. I smiled again at him reassuringly and continued sipping lightly from the mug. We were camping out. The sun was still nowhere in sight, and the sky was a vast, dark blanket, dotted with tiny lights and one crescent moon.

I studied the Little Person out of the corner of my eye. He resembled Frankenstein, being stitched together roughly, with dead, grey skin, bright green eyes and no hair whatsoever. Harkat was actually a member of resurrected dead. A zombie. The only difference being that he didn't go around eating brains. I suppose you could call him ugly, but I was extremely fond of the Little Person. He was a ridiculously loyal companion.

About two months ago, Mr Tiny, an extremely powerful being, transported Harkat and I to a barren, monster-infested land that we guessed was the future, to find out the truth about Harkat's identity.

Harkat used to be a vampire called Kurda Smahlt (If you rearranged his name, it spelt Harkat Mulds) Kurda had betrayed the vampire clan in a bid to prevent war with our blood cousins, the purple-skinned vampaneze. To make up for his sins, he'd agreed to become Harkat Mulds and travel back to the past to be my guardian.

I finished off my mug of water, and placed it on the ground. Harkat and I were currently travelling around without a heading. Harkat wanted to get back to Vampire Mountain, but I'd been putting it off. I was too busy trying to get my head straight.

I felt like I'd had too much information to process in the last six months. Meeting Evanna and Vancha, The Purge, Steve's return, falling in love with him. Not to mention Mr Crepsley's death and Steve's revelation. Then there was the fact that Harkat was Kurda. It amazed me that I wasn't a depressed puddle of dark goo on the ground. Speaking of which, I still couldn't cry and grieve for Mr Crepsley. It was like an itch I just couldn't scratch. My eyes felt unbearably dry.

The crimson wave continued to visit me every month, bringing with it mood swings and more depression. Harkat had asked me a lot of questions about that since discovering he was Kurda. Vampires weren't meant to be fertile, but the blood was an indicator that I was, he argued.

And I would respond with an "I'm not," and inform him that if I was, I would've been impregnated by Steve. And okay, we only did it twice, but it's not like we used any contraceptives at all. And the timing was right.

Then Harkat had to burst my bubble by saying that Steve was a half-vampaneze. He probably couldn't have kids either. I had glared at Harkat, and made him drop the whole conversation. I didn't really want to know if I could have kids. I had already accepted the fact that I couldn't years ago. It was bad enough trying to make sense of the complications that plagued my life, much less add to it.

Following that line of thought, I realised something. I rustled through my backpack and cursed. "I've run out of feminine hygiene products," I informed my travelling partner.

"Why do you need it?" he asked, confused. "Is it here already?"

"No, but it should be coming in a week or so... I don't like bring unprepared. We have enough dirty clothes as it is. Well... _I_ do." Harkat only wore his blue robes, and they hardly got dirty for some reason.

"We'll find a town tomorrow and get... you some,"

"It's okay. I need a walk anyway," I grabbed a sweater and put it on.

"You're going _now_?" he asked.

"Yeah. Can't go back to sleep anyway," I shrugged. I could never go back to sleep after the nightmares. They were too vivid, too frightening. "I'll be right back. I think the closest town was a few miles away."

"I'll come with you," he said, getting to his feet and pulling aside his dark robes so that he doesn't step and trip on them.

"No, it's alright. Stay," I said. "Keep the fire going and make sure no one steals our stuff. I'll be about an hour or so."

He hesitated. "Are you sure? It's dangerous, travelling by yourself at this... time of night,"

"I'll be fine," I laughed. "What human could hurt me?"

"I wasn't talking about humans,"

"You're getting paranoid in your old age, Harkat. I'll be fine," I told him, rolling my eyes. He hovered for a while more, hesitating, then saw the logic in my choice and let me go. No way was I lugging everything over to the closest town and the lugging it all the way back. I reassured him that I'd be safe and finally he let me go.

Unfortunately, on the way there I wished I'd asked Harkat to come with me anyway. He was a pretty good navigator. I wasn't. I forgot which one was the evening star, so I had to double back several times. It didn't help that my mind kept wandering to my many troubles. Primarily, my complete inability to cry and grieve.

And I constantly felt eyes on my back. I kept turning around to find no one there. I even went over to a suspicious looking bush and poked it with a long stick, only to feel completely stupid when nothing happened. I mean, I would've heard a heartbeat if there was someone there.

I continued on the way, writing my suspicions off as paranoia.

It was a little less than an hour before I got to the town. Harkat knew of my faulty sense of direction, so he probably wouldn't worry... yet.

I went into a twenty-four hour department store, got my items, and left hastily. I was still a police suspect, and though we were quite a distance away from the city in which I was arrested, you never knew who knew.

My fingers curled around the plastic bag handles, twirling and fiddling with it uneasily. The roads were relatively empty, though there were several passer-bys - Mostly drunks - who passed me by, unconcerned.

The sound of glass splintering into a million pieces rang out through the air and I jumped. I looked around nervously, scanning the area, only to find nothing. Why did I feel so wary? It was like something was going to happen. Something major.

My precious toiletries were nearly dropped as realisation dawned. _Follow your heart_, Mr Tiny had said. I walked on stiffly, automatically, my whole body tensed for an ambush by Steve.

I shook my head back and forth, arguing with myself that Vancha wasn't even here. This couldn't be the predicted final encounter, could it?

Staring at the floor intently, I registered nothing as my mind whirled, trying to process this new information. And I bumped into someone.

I squeaked and fell, caught by surprise.

"Sorry," the person I'd collided with muttered, offering a hand to help me up.

"It's okay, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention," I said, taking the proffered hand. I stood up and looked into the face of the person I'd bumped into and gasped.

The light brown hair, blue eyes and strangely straight nose. He was much older and taller. Of course. About fifteen years had passed since I last saw him. Andy. My younger brother. My only brother. The only person other than Steve who I'd constantly wondered was okay.

My mouth opened and closed several times, like a fish. If my mind was whirling earlier, it was on the verge of overload now. I wondered if maybe steam was escaping from my ears. God that would've been embarrassing.

He looked at me weirdly. "Are you okay?" he asked. He didn't recognise me. Which I found weird, considering that I recognised him, and he'd changed - aged - more than I did.

"Uh..." I stammered. "O-Of course! Yeah, I'm f-fine!" I said, in a voice much louder than necessary.

"Ooookay..." he said, his expression telling me that he thought I was some crazy person. Oh well. Better than your long-dead, barely aging sister, right? "Then... See ya." He said, and left.

I stared after him. Then, on a desperate, non-sensical whim, decided to follow him, my bag of shopping left where I dropped it, neglected and forgotten. Harkat would just have to wait - and worry - a little longer. Something seemed to be familiar, yet fishy about this, but I didn't care.

Andy seemed to be twisting and turning around the town with no destination in mind. I followed him, hiding pathetically behind lamp posts, trash cans, and other various things lying around.

Several times he turned around and I'd hide, my heart pounding as he scanned the darkness for something. I wondered what he was up to. Was he doing something shady? Did mom and dad know?

Then he would turn away and continue going around the town, making unnecessary turns and going in circles. He knew someone was following him. I dropped back even more.

It was about ten minutes later that he disappeared into an alley. I hurried after him, intent on not losing him.

Entering the dark alley, I stared at a dead end. No one was there in the dark. I checked behind and inside the bins. No one. I even tried pulling each door in that alley. None budged.

"...Huh," I said out loud to myself, feeling stupid. Then I sighed, and turned around to leave. Someone stepped into the entrance of the alley, blocking out the street lights and casting a long shadow that reached my feet. I stared at the gold and silver hooks he had instead of hands.

My heart pounded, but I wasn't very surprised. The paranoia I'd been experiencing had been preparing me for this.

"R.V." I said, nodding at him, acknowledging his presence. He grinned at me madly. Then another figure stepped out of the street. A large man with half of his face gone. Morgan James. I took a step back, knowing that there was no where for me to run.

They were joined by a slim, tall, unhappy-looking man - Gannen Harst - and a smirking Lord of the Vampaneze.

"Gannen. Steve," I greeted them.

"She doesn't seem surprised to see us," Steve stage-whispered to Gannen. Gannen didn't reply.

"An ambush, huh?" I asked. I was completely outnumbered. My hand twitched uselessly at my side as I wondered if I could reach down and grab the knife I'd strapped to my calf quickly enough to fling it at Steve. But Gannen must have read my mind, as he quickly stepped in front of Steve.

"Yup," Steve said merrily. "And we couldn't have done it without our most important ally. Isn't that right, Andy?"

I heard a noise behind me and turned my head to see my younger brother holding an arrow gun aimed at my heart. Behind him was an open door. One I'd tried and refused to open for me.

"You're on their side, Andy?" I asked sadly.

"Better theirs than yours, you traitor," he spat at me. I was slightly taken aback by his response.

"What have you told him?" I asked Steve quietly.

"Nothing. Except the truth. That you disregarded your family and even set a spider on your best friend, just do you could become a vampire," Steve said innocently.

I glared at him, then turned back to my brother. "Andy. That... _man_ is a liar," I had trouble thinking of a word to describe Steve. I took a step forward towards him. "You can't seriously believe-"

"Stay back!" he warned, waving the arrow gun at me. I backed away slightly, holding my arms up in a gesture of peace. I gazed at Andy, catching his eye, trying to communicate telepathically like we'd done so often when we were young.

For about a minute, nobody moved. A tense atmosphere settled over us and we watched and waited to see who would move first.

Then Steve got tired of waiting.

"R.V. James," He nodded towards me. The vampet and half-vampaneze advanced on me slowly. I backed away, but heard a threatening click behind me as Andy readied the arrow gun. Cursing under my breath, I stopped backing away. R.V. and Morgan James continued edging towards me.

I waited until they were close enough, then reached down, grabbed my knives, and dodged them both, ducking through the small space between them. Andy fired an arrow at me, shocked into action by my sudden move. The luck of the vampires was with me, as the arrow missed me and struck Morgan James in the arm instead. He cried out and dropped the rifle he was holding.

I went straight for Steve, but Gannen was faster than me. He blocked my strike with knives of his own. I tried going for a kick, but with Steve had caught on as to my next move. He grabbed my leg mid-air and I lost balance. I crashed into the floor, head-first.

There was a cry of pain that sounded strangely like my own, and stars exploded into view before my eyes.

* * *

I sighed in bliss. Everything was so soft and smooth. A liquid-like fabric caressed my skin, bunching around me. I ran a hand over the softness, marveling at its perfection. Then I shifted, only to be surprised into full consciousness by the unmistakable clanging sound of metal hitting against metal and the slightest of whispers from the fabric.

I opened my eyes and found my vision assaulted with red and black. I groaned. The back of my head hurt. _What happened? Where was I now? _

Propping myself up with my left arm, I lifted my right arm to massage my aching temples, only to find that my right wrist had been chained to something.

I tugged on the chain hard, meaning to break it. It refused to budge. As I was struggling against it, the smooth silk blanket covering my body fell, and I found myself completely nude, except for the metal cross hanging from my neck. I squeaked in terror and grabbed the sheets, holding them to my chest with one hand.

"Wha-" I started to say, then realized that I was in an open coffin. I gaped at it. Luxurious silk decorated it's interior, which matched the sheets I was clutching to my chest.

I looked around the room as I tried to register where exactly I was. It was a plain room, with walls painted black. There was a desk to the side, and some shelves, but that was about it for furniture. Lit candles were placed in various locations around the room. There were two doors, both painted black as well. No windows.

I lifted a hand to my head to run a hand over the source of my pain, and the chain bound to my wrist entered my line of vision. I traced it to it's other end. It was linked to a metal ring on the outside of the coffin. I got out of the coffin, nearly ending up in a heap on the floor. I tried to ignore the fact that I was stark naked and cold, and pulled against the chain in an attempt to break it, to no avail.

"What the hell is this made of?" I said out loud, tugging against the chain, using all of my enhanced vampire strength.

"Something you can't break," said a familiar voice behind me. In my shocked desperation, I didn't even hear the footsteps approaching the room. Steve Leopard entered the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. He grinned at me lecherously, eyeing my behind.

I quickly whirled around, removing my asset from his view, but that was no better. I reached for the sheets inside the coffin to cover myself with them. A hand seized my left wrist, stopping me. He pinned me to the side of the coffin, his front making contact with my back, both my wrists held tightly by him so I couldn't swat him away. I sucked in a surprised breath as something hard and hot prodded my butt.

He lowered his head and licked the side of my neck. His tongue slid down my neck and travelled to my right shoulder slowly.

"Steve... Stop," I said, trying not to acknowledge the shiver of pleasure running down my spine. I hated this guy. He killed Mr Crepsley, my beloved mentor. Who I still had yet to shed a tear for.

"Or what?" he asked teasingly, kissing and sucking me lightly on the shoulder.

"Or... Or... I'll hit you," I said lamely. He chuckled.

"Fine," he said, and released me. I turned, shocked that he'd been so cooperative and curious as to what expression he would be wearing. Then I saw him removing his clothes.

I trembled. I could guess what was coming next.

"Get in," he commanded me, as soon as all his clothes were removed. I just stared at him. Like me, the only thing left was a cross hanging from his neck. I was curious as to why he still wore that thing - to annoy me? - but at the moment there were more important things on my mind.

"Or what?" I echoed his earlier response.

His eyes narrowed. "Or I'll make you," I stared at him disbelievingly. Then, before I could realise what was happening, he'd lifted me and threw me into the coffin. I was so shocked, I didn't even fight back. I just released a high-pitched, damsel-y scream that surprised even me.

"On your stomach," he told me. I glared at him. If he was going to force me anyway, why make things easy for him? I gathered what little courage was left in me and did nothing. I willed my body to stop shaking. It didn't listen to me. Steve sighed in mock frustration. "So you're going to be difficult, huh?"

He climbed into the coffin. I sat up and backed to the front of the casket, my back resting against one side of the coffin and my butt on the pillow. He crawled forward, advancing on me. Then he reached out, snatched my free wrist, and held it to the side of the coffin. I hissed, protesting. He ignored me.

I tried to deny him access, but his touch was intoxicating, and as hard as I tried, my body was failing to resist his ministrations.

_I hate him. _I chanted to myself, resisting the sensations that were starting to plague my body. _I hate him, I hate him, I hate him._

Steve watched me carefully, enjoying my reactions. He continued, my shackles jingled, and a moan escaped from my throat. I struggled against my restraints.

These pleasured touches were soon replaced by something more brutal, not in the least pleasurable and I screamed.

I never understood what fucking meant. Was it really the act of simply doing it without any feelings? Was it possible? I didn't understand how it could be done. Love seemed so integral to sex to me. Until it happened to me.

He had no consideration for me whatsoever. I was simply a toy. Something to satisfy his needs. He paid no attention to my screams of protest and pain. In fact, I think he may have liked my screaming. I clenched my teeth together and shut my mouth, in an attempt to spite him. However, it wasn't more than two seconds later that I started whimpering involuntarily.

It's true that I like my sex with a bit of force, but this was just plain _agony_. This definitely _did not _excite me.

Tears streamed out of my eyes as he showed no sign of stopping. I started praying that he would finish quickly. That didn't work very well either.

He kept thrusting, going impossibly deeper and deeper. I clenched the pillow, my nails making tear marks in the delicate silk.

It was ages until he finally finished. It was finally over. I let out a hoarse sigh of relief. My throat hurt from all the crying I'd done.

He curved his body against my back, curling over me possessively.

"Did you think we were finished?" he whispered, his face was right beside mine. I cringed away from him. His replying chuckles held an evil undertone. I willed my body to move away, but it hurt too much.

He ran a hand up my sweaty spine, and I felt the tingling sensation of goosebumps appearing all over my body. "Because I can promise you, I'm far from being done."

I started shaking again, an involuntary response by my body from the earlier trauma. _Stop shaking, you stupid Vampire Prince._ I chastised myself.

I took a shaky breath, then attempted elbowing him in the ribs, but he was ready for it. He caught it and held my other hand as well, in case I tried to attack him with it. We ended up wrestling in that tight space. But I was at a disadvantage, being shackled and slightly weaker. And it was difficult to think straight when I was so scared. Steve was having the time of his life. Me fighting back was just turning him on even more.

He pinned my hands above my head. Somehow I'd ended up on my back during our struggle, my head wound throbbing with pain as it rubbed against the pillow.

"Round two," he said merrily. I screamed as he forced himself on me again. He kissed me sloppily, cutting off my scream, and we repeated the whole process all over again.

_I really, really hate him._

* * *

**A/N:** ...Yeah.

By the way, a forewarning that this is where Darren starts to get _really_ confused about her feelings, causing the rest of us (Namely, me) to feel equally confused. Therefore... Yeah. Confusion.

Anyway... Review? (Ha! See, there wasn't a pattern after all)


	8. Chapter 8 Everything Ends Eventually

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak and any of the characters in it. I do, however, own the whole Twilight Saga. Darn it. The Darren Shan Saga is so much better. Anybody wanna trade?

**A/N:** In case anyone hasn't noticed, this chapter spells EEE! Am I smart or what?

...If you've been tracking this story, you'll notice that you got two e-mails for the last chapter. I have to apologise about that. Two seconds after I uploaded Chapter 7, I realised I uploaded Chapter 6 twice instead. So, I'm very, very sorry.

And of course, thanks to MK for the wonderful review of last chapter. I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say this: Your suspicions are well-founded. I've been dropping hints about that development for a while now. But that's all I can say. As for your other question, I think Steve just likes it better when Darren's awake and screaming... He's sort of... sadistic?

* * *

_Chapter 8: Everything Ends Eventually_

To say it was never-ending was an understatement.

I don't know how much time passed while we were in there. But it felt like weeks. There were no windows, so it was hard to tell if it was morning or night. The luxurious, expensive-looking coffin accumulated in damage. The inner lining was shredded, the pillow had holes, the silk blanket had been reduced to rags. I think at one point, Steve dug holes in the wooden walls of the coffin. And there were multiple scratches from our nails, on the coffin _and_ each other. I hoped that whoever did the bills for the vampaneze wouldn't be _too_ angry about what we'd done. Then again, Steve was the boss so I guess he could do whatever he wanted.

After doing it so many times, the pain had faded away - I had a feeling Steve had also eased up on the use of force, but I was so out of it that I couldn't really tell - and the act became more... pleasurable. Just a little. Okay, a lot. But I tried very hard to not let it show.

In fact, I showed my lack of consent as much as possible. I did my best to bite him – any flesh that he left near my mouth. Then he gagged me. It wasn't very fun, choking on your own saliva while screaming. I didn't bite him anymore after that.

Steve had an amazing stamina. I could barely keep up with him. Occasionally, we would catch a few hours of sleep - _sleep _as in I would pass out from exhaustion and he would allow me to stay unconscious. But before I'd even woken up properly, he'd be at it again.

At various intervals, someone would knock on the door, delivering food. Steve would usually go to the door and get it, except if he was in the middle of, uh, some 'rigorous activity'. Then he'd spoon-feed me. At first I resisted. He'd merely shrugged. He didn't care. But after all the 'exercise' we did, I found myself more... _accepting_ of it.

Toilet breaks were more awkward. Luckily, I got to do it alone, without supervision, thanks to the metal ring beside the toilet bowl. Also, the toilet was attached to the room we were in, so I didn't have to walk around some place full of vampaneze naked.

Phew.

Time kept on passing, and as it did, things changed. I stopped fighting him as much, and in turn, so did he. Things got gentler, and much more affectionate. Which confused me. The part of me that hated him for everything he'd done, betraying us, killing Mr Crepsley, was angry at how he dared to kidnap me and use me as a toy. The part that still loved him, the part that I thought I'd thrown away permanently when Mr Crepsley died, argued against the hate, and couldn't help wondering why exactly he was doing this. I mean, there were plenty of women out there, better-looking, more experienced and most importantly - more willing.

Why me, his sworn enemy who was currently at his mercy? After all, if he killed me, he'd win the war.

I pondered over it for days, thinking about it with what little mental capabilities I had left. I couldn't find an answer that seemed plausible.

* * *

"Steve..." I moaned. "Steve, I can't take it anymore..." The gag was thrown to one side of the room, forgotten. It never stayed on for long, as a certain Lord of the Vampaneze preferred it when I was making more noise - though most of the time, I didn't make any just to spite him.

Steve laughed sadistically in reply to my pleading moans. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

I growled at him. He kissed my nose in an attempt to pacify me. I tried kicking him. But before I could, the main door to the room burst open.

I winced at the sudden burst of light. The candles in the room had gone out days ago, and our eyes had gotten used to what minimal light we had.

"Lord," a familiar voice came from the doorway.

Steve didn't stop what he was doing to me, and merely said "Go away, Gannen," like a sulky brother whose least favourite sibling had walked into his room.

I didn't have a reaction quite as accepting or dignified as his. I squeaked in surprise, tried to gather what little rags of blanket was around me, and looked at Gannen sheepishly... even though I'd done nothing wrong. _I was the one who'd been kidnapped._

And Steve hadn't even paused his thrusting.

...I'm such an idiot.

I looked at the brother of my fellow prince and once again felt sorry for him. He looked stressed and unhappy. And from the way he kept glancing at me, I could tell he had wanted me to be killed, for their victory to be ensured. I wondered why he didn't get his way. R.V. and Morgan James would've wanted the same thing, wouldn't they? I tried not to think about Andy. Looking at the annoyed look on Steve's face, I could only think of one reason why, one person powerful enough to overthrow them. But the motive behind the reason? I had no clue.

Actually, seeing as how Steve hadn't stopped his torture on me even though there was somebody else in the room - his primary protector, in fact - I may have had a teeny tiny clue.

Steve really is such a typical horny male.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Harst said uncomfortably. He didn't want to be there any more than we wanted him to. "There are..." his eyes flickered to me. "..._duties_ you need to fulfil."

"They can wait," Steve replied.

"No, they cannot." Gannen growled back.

Finally, Steve stopped, but only to glare at Harst.

"I can assure you, they are more pressing than..." Once again, he glanced at me disdainfully. "...your current activities," I wanted to punch the guy. He obviously didn't like me. And I really didn't like the looks he was giving me. Snotty arse.

"And _I_ can assure _you_ that my current activities are more pressing than whatever duties you have in mind," Steve replied, waving a hand dismissively at Gannen Harst.

Gannen's jaw tightened. His unhappy expression became even less happy.

I took that as my cue.

"Um... Toilet break," I mumbled.

At first, _no one responded_. I was almost convinced that they didn't mind me having an accident in the now-tattered casket. Then finally Steve got up, and left the coffin - naked - before tinkering with the lock that chained me to the side of the coffin. I discovered that it was a combination lock, and only Steve knew the password. Or so he said, anyway.

He tugged on the chain when it was free, and I got out of the coffin, barely able to maintain my balance on my recently under-used limbs (Or at least, not used for standing or walking). Glancing at the casket, I decided that what was left of the blanket wouldn't cover much anyway (and I wanted Gannen to squirm, hoping that he was the type of person who'd feel vexed at the sight of a girl's naked body), so I left it in the coffin, among all the other shreds of things. I wondered if Gannen prissy Harst would look away as Steve led me to the toilet.

The lock clicked into place as it was fixed around the metal ring above the toilet paper.

I stood and stared at Steve, waiting for him to leave so I could relieve myself. He just stared at me.

"What?" I asked, as rudely as I could. Which wasn't much, considering the state I was in.

He just smiled at me, then lowered his head and kissed me. It was a brief kiss, one that confused me to no end, because _it wasn't forceful_.

"Wha-" I started to say, but he left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. I stared at the door, frowning. What the hell was that?

I sat down on the toilet bowl, unable to empty my bladder anymore. Then I found I could hear Steve and Gannen talking. I only heard snippets, as they were talking in low voices, and it was slightly muffled, but I more or less got it.

"How long do you want to keep her here? She's at our mercy! Hurry and assure our victory! That's what we're counting on you for, Lord of the Vampaneze," Gannen said, raising his voice in anger.

"Don't talk to me like I've forgotten it!" Steve snapped back. "I'm not stupid. But I'll do it in my own time. I don't want to rush this."

"Really? Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalling for time," Gannen said, his voice dangerously low.

"What are you talking about?" Steve scoffed.

"Punishing R.V. for giving her such a huge wound on her leg? Sending Morgan James after her when she was in jail to help her escape? And threatening to kill yourself and doom the entire vampaneze race if we didn't spare her and simply abduct her instead?" Gannen listed.

For a long time, there was silence.

I felt dizzy. My mind was whirling. He did all those things? Why? _Why?_

The hopeful, romantic part of me swelled up in joy. _It's love!_ It sang. I visualised myself beating up the part of me that dared to suggest that.

Then Steve cleared his throat. "If Morgan James wasn't there, she might not have made it out and to the Cave of Retribution."

"Wrong. Vampires are resourceful. She would have made it out anyhow. And with the ruckus you made - Killing the guard and nurses - her escape was practically assured. Did you do that for her too?"

"What? No, of course no-"

"Steve, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were in lo-"

"Shut up!" Steve hissed. "Fine, if you want me to fulfill my duties, I will, alright? Jeez!"

Then I heard footsteps and the door to the bathroom wrenched open. I tried to look as innocent as I could - widening my eyes, jutting out my lower lip slightly and cocking my head to one side. But he'd caught me. And I knew he knew it.

He was fully dressed, in green robes. He released the lock, dragged me back to the coffin by pulling on the chain like a leash and linked me back to the coffin.

When I climbed back into the coffin, he leaned over me menacingly, gripping the side of the coffin on either sides of me, caging me in.

"I'll be right back. Don't try to escape. It won't work. I'll know if you try, and I'll make you regret even attempting it. You understand that, don't you?" Steve whispered threateningly. I nodded, my mind flashing to the 'pain' he'd inflicted on me just a while ago. His eyes softened and he pecked me lightly on the lips. I saw Gannen's eyes narrow at that in the background.

Then the two of them left, leaving me alone with my confused thoughts.

* * *

I never thought I'd say this, but it was _lonely_ without Steve.

At first I was happy. I finally got to get some rest. Steve had boundless energy, and could just do it all day like a rabbit, but I really couldn't.

But when I woke up, I felt deathly cold, and the dark was suffocating.

I wished Steve would hurry up in returning.

Don't get me wrong, I was still really angry with Steve - for everything he'd done to me, just over a single misunderstanding that he'd refused to let me straighten out.

But at the same time... Was he really a monster? Okay, yeah, he'd killed the one person who'd taken care of me for fifteen years. And he raped me. But at the same time, all those things Gannen said that he'd done for me...

I hated to say it, but what Gannen said really did make sense.

If it really was true... No, I wouldn't consider it. It would hurt too much if I was wrong.

I sighed, wishing I had a higher pain threshold to such things.

Before I could ponder over it some more, the door opened to reveal a determined-looking, pale-faced vampet.

"Andy!" I bolted upright as I registered his face.

"Shh," he hushed me, as he moved forward and fiddled with the combination lock holding me captive to the coffin.

"Andy, what the hell are you doing?" I hissed at him. "If Steve finds out you were-"

"It's my fault that you ended up here. I didn't think that he'd... He'd do such _awful_ things to you," he muttered, a fierce, protective look in his eyes. My anger and fear for his life faded in that instant, and I promptly shut my mouth. _There it is._ I thought. _My Andy._

"I'm okay, Andy," I told him, reaching down and tousling his hair like I used to. "I'm okay," A single tear ran down his cheek, he wiped it away hastily.

Then the chain came loose.

"I don't know the combination of the lock around your wrist, so you'll just have to wear it," he told me. I nodded. Then he blushed, taking a good look at me. He removed his jacket and threw it to me. "Put that on."

I tried not to laugh at his abashed expression. I quickly put it on and buttoned it up, my hand brushing against my metal cross as I reached the top button. I ignored the cold, solid sensation as the pendant came in contact with my skin. The jacket was a bit too big for me, but it was better than making my escape butt-naked. When I was done dressing, Andy grabbed my wrist, removed the arrow gun strapped to his waist, held it up guardedly and led me out the door.

We moved silently, as a single word from me could alert the vampaneze as to my escape.

I took in my surroundings, and registered it as an abandoned building of some sort. Perhaps a previous hotel? It was dilapidated to the extreme.

Andy led me down a staircase, then past a hallway.

"This way is longer, but safer. There shouldn't be any vampaneze here..." he told me softly. I nodded cautiously in reply.

Which was ironic, because at that precise moment, we heard the clear thump of approaching footsteps. Andy froze. I whipped my head back and forth hastily, searching for something to hide in. A huge wardrobe entered my line of sight. I opened it quickly and Andy shut the doors behind me softly.

"Oh, it's you Andy. What are you doing here?" Steve asked. Goosebumps broke out over my skin as my mind ran over the threat he'd made earlier. There was no way he wouldn't know I was here. My heart was thrumming like helicopter blades. Much too loud for comfort.

_Please, God. _I prayed. _Please don't let Andy get in trouble._

"Taking a walk," Andy replied.

"With your arrow gun in hand?" I could practically see Steve cocking an eyebrow disbelievingly.

"Yeah. You never know when a vampaneze could get hungry and eat me."

Steve laughed loudly, but it was a mocking sort of laugh. Andy remained silent. I realised that Andy wasn't joking. I wondered if it was like that for every vampet - having to live in constant fear of being drained to death by the very creatures whose every order they had to obey. Was the offer of power really worth it?

"I see. Well, then I'll be on my way," Steve said, and again I heard footsteps.

I was relieved, but puzzled. He should have heard my heartbeat, as well as my breathing. And caught my scent. So why-

Before I could complete that thought, Steve's footsteps stopped before the wardrobe I was in.

"I'll just collect my beloved possession, and I'll be on my way," Steve said merrily. Then the wardrobe doors were pulled wide open, the light filling the dark space around and on me, like a spotlight on an escaped prisoner. I gasped. It was over.

"Andy, run!" I shouted, but he was rooted to his spot, aiming his arrow gun at Steve.

Steve ignored it.

"Hello, honey," he purred, then touched his lips to mine. I froze, but didn't resist, giving Andy time to run away. Andy didn't. He just stood there, frowning at us both, arrow gun still pointed at Steve.

There was a sort of desperation about that kiss. It wasn't the sort of kiss you'd give to your _runaway_ captive. It was the sort of kiss you gave to your _released _captive.

When he broke away, I stared at him, baffled by that single graze of our lips. He lifted me out of the wardrobe and placed me on the floor, then walked over to the wall - still ignoring Andy and the threat of death there - and opened an old, filthy garbage chute.

"You're not scared of falling down high places, are you?" Steve asked me casually, as if he was inquiring about the weather.

"Uh... No. Not particularly..." I replied hesitantly.

"Good," he said, and grabbed my arm, swung me around and pushed me into the garbage chute; just as Gannen called out Steve's name.

What happened next occurred so quickly that I could barely register what was going on. I had clambered into the garbage chute and was squatting at the entrance, eyeing the passage with disgust when Gannen entered the hallway. Gannen's eyes had fallen on me, widening considerably in shock, but before he could do anything, Steve grabbed Andy's arrow gun, aimed, and shot me in the shoulder. I screeched in pain and fell down the garbage chute.

From what I remembered of the chute's appearance, the descent must have been smelly and dirty - but I barely noticed. For a moment, the world around me was red. The chute was narrow, but enough for me to slide through. However, having to squeeze myself so that I wouldn't hit against anything was agony on my shoulder, and when I landed in the big dumpster below, I was so relieved I started crying.

Groaning, I lifted myself out of the crap that had amassed there and tried to climb out of the large bin. I successfully made it out, but landed with an extreme lack of grace.

Every move racked my body with pain, but I continued to drag myself from the scene of the crime. It wouldn't do to be recaptured on Gannen's command.

I was bleeding bucketfuls, but the haze of pain that had settled in my brain refused to let me think of stopping the blood and dressing my wound. All that was driving me on now was instinct - a fear for my life.

I didn't make it very far. I collapsed about a block away from the abandoned hotel, desperate for rest.

"Just a short rest..." I told myself, my eyes shutting. "Just for a little while..."

Just before I slipped completely into unconsciousness, I heard footsteps. Then a tutting sound as someone stood over me. At that pivotal moment, the darkness claimed me and earthly worries reached me no more.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh crud, did Darren die? Has Andy developed a conscience? Will Gannen wilt away and die as Steve continues to drain away his energy? Is Steve really in love with- Er. Haha. Can't ask that one. Anyway, tune in next week to find out!

And you see that button that says 'Review this chapter'? I dare you to click it.


	9. Chapter 9 The Split Path Converges

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters nor original plot of the Darren Shan Saga. I just borrow the books from the library and keep it for two months, return it, then borrow it again for another two months.

**A/N: **This is where Darren starts to get super messed-up. Have fun reading.

I realised I did something very wrong in the last few chapters. I thanked all the people who reviewed - _but I didn't thank anyone who added this story to their favourite/alerts_. I'm _so_ sorry. And_ thank you so much_ for adding this story to your favourite/alert. It still makes me happy.

And as per usual, thanks to SUSHIxMONSTER, jixa15, MK, 9oreo9 and S.L. Gibbs. Special thanks to S.L. Gibbs who reviewed every single chapter. I wuv you guys.

* * *

Chapter 9 The Split Path Converges

Croak. Croak. _Croaaaak._

I groaned. What was that noise? Why wouldn't it leave me alone to sleep? I was so sleepy... And everywhere hurt.

_Croaaaaaaaaaak._

I groaned, louder this time, and opened my eyes. And screamed in surprise at the hideous face I was staring into.

"E-Evanna?" I stared at the hairy, barely-human face of the enchantress. As I processed her face, comparing it to the one in my memories, other memories flooded back into my brain. And these memories hit me like an airplane nosediving into gravel. I gasped and choked on my own saliva, which sent me into a coughing fit. I sat upright, trying to ignore the pain that racked my body each time I coughed. But it proved too much for me, and I nearly passed out. Evanna held a muscled arm behind my back, holding me up.

"Yes, it's me," she said. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, squeezing her arm gratefully. I glanced around the room, noticing the paintings on the walls and huge candle-lit lamps as well as the croaking in the background. "I'm in your cave...?" I questioned.

"Yes," she replied. I stared at her, frowning in confusion.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"I found you," the witch said simply, watching me carefully. She seemed a little wary of me. I wondered why, but didn't think too much about it. Evanna was always a bit of a mystery to me.

"Oh, right..." I lifted my left hand to touch the wound on my right shoulder lightly, and winced. "He shot me," I whispered disbelievingly. "He shot me!" I repeated, louder and angrier this time.

The fact that this action actually affected me was a surprise. I had already told myself _not_ to fall for him again. He was my enemy, for crying out loud! The whole future of the clan lay in killing him. So why did I feel so hurt that he had dared to shoot me?

_Goddamn Stockholm Syndrome._

A tear slid out of my eye and down my cheek. I touched it in surprise. I was angry. _Angry!_ Not _sad!_

"I hate him," I muttered. "He killed Mr Crepsley. He betrayed us. I_ don't _love him," I blinked away the moisture in my eyes angrily.

"No matter how many times you repeat a lie, the truth remains the same," Evanna said quietly.

I stared at her bleakly for a second, then found that what I'd been yearning for was finally happening.

The flood gates opened, and I cried. I cried really, really hard.

I bawled about the luck I'd had, having to trick my family into believing I was dead, the fact that I was born a girl, the lack of appreciation for what I'd given up from Steve, Mr Crepsley's death, Steve's violation of my body and most of all - I cried because no matter what I did, I couldn't change the fact that even though Steve hated me bitterly, Iloved him. Oh God, I loved him so much. And I think I always will.

I guess what they say is right. Self-pity brings tears more easily than anything else.

But Evanna didn't judge me, or watch me awkwardly as I know Mr Crepsley would have. Instead, she placed another thick arm around me and held me to her chest as I cried. Her rope-clothing was drenched by the time I was done. Which, by the way, was about half an hour later.

When I had finished feeling sorry for myself, Evanna checked my already-dressed shoulder wound, monitoring it's healing.

"Yes, healing nicely..." she muttered, rebandaging it.

"How long was I asleep?" I wondered, stretching my right leg and feeling the numb stiffness of it.

"Nearly five days," Evanna answered. My eyes bulged.

"Oh..." I said quietly. I had no recollection of that much time passing. "I wonder how long I was in the..." I paused, wondering what was a good name for it. "...Vampaneze base." I said finally.

"About a week," Evanna answered once again. My eyes widened even further, if that was even possible. It was both longer and shorter than I expected.

"Really?" I asked rhetorically. Evanna remained quiet.

A thoughtful silence loomed over us as I pondered past events, trying to get my head around the timeline. I felt much calmer now that I'd cried. I was still conflicted about a number of things, but at the same time I felt so much better.

"Darren," Evanna said finally, her treatment of me complete. I craned my neck to face her.

"Hmmm?" I hummed curiously.

"We need to talk," she said. I had heard this line so many times - in cheesy chick flicks all the way to parental talks. It never brought any good news, and I doubted it'd start now, especially considering that Evanna was the one delivering it.

"Okay..." I said nervously.

She took a deep breath, and let it out as a sigh. "There are times," she began. "When we sorcerers, including my father, lose our ability to glimpse the future,"

I frowned at her. I didn't know that. I always assumed that the all-powerful Mr Tiny would be able to see the future no matter what. After all, he could travel through time... right?

And on that note, why was she telling me this anyway?

I shut my mouth as she continued, waiting to see where she was going with this.

"This is a rare occurrence, and to be truthful, I have never experienced it before. Not even once in my abnormally long lifetime. I have, however, heard of it. Which is why I know of it," She stopped and stared me hard in the eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying so far?" she asked.

I nodded mutely, still wondering where she was going with this.

"Such an impairment in our ability can only mean one thing," She breathed in deeply again. Then, she spoke, in a small voice that I could only barely hear. "The future has been determined. There is now only one possible future,"

I blinked once. Twice. Three times. "WHAT?" I burst out. She winced at my sudden increase in volume, but didn't falter. "Why? How? Nobody died! Nothing's been settled! How can the future be determined?"

"I do not know. The last I remember was that one of you will win - you, or Steve Leopard, and the person who gains victory will become the Lord of the Shadows, the bringer of chaos. The loser, and his clan, will become extinct. Of course, when the Lord of the Shadows rises, all will cease - humans, vampires, vampaneze." she shrugged.

I gaped at her uncharacteristically loose tongue. Evanna had always been pretty cagey about revealing facts about what has yet to come to pass. "Evanna, isn't there a rule forbidding you from telling me _that much_ about the future?"

"Normally, yes. But there is nothing I can do to change it now that the future is fixed. What will happen, will happen regardless of what I do or reveal. Not even my father is able to travel through time now - not until this predetermined future has come to pass."

I bit my lip, trying to get my head around what she was saying. _What_ was she saying? But the most important thing was:

"So you don't know who wins?" I asked in a small voice, looking at the witch hopefully. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wish there was more I could do or have done. But there are rules that bind me, as they do every other seer." Her face was one of utmost sincerity.

I didn't know what to say, so I simply copied what Evanna had done earlier. I took a deep breath, and released it with a sigh.

"No, you've done a lot," I said, managing a small smile. "Thanks, Evanna,"

She placed a hand on mine. "Of course," she said simply.

My heart warmed at this small gesture of affection. I beamed at her. Man, I really liked Evanna.

"You should rest," She got up from the couch she'd been sitting on, and smiled at me. "No matter what the future is, it is certain that you will play a great role in shaping it."

"Okay," I said, gingerly placing myself in a sleeping position, careful not to move my right shoulder too much and aggravate the already tender nerves there. Evanna pulled the blanket up to my chin, then blew out the candle.

I was asleep before her footsteps had left the room.

* * *

The next day as I was eating the cooked vegetables and fresh fruits, I realised something.

"Harkat," I said, grabbing Evanna's hand, feeling guilty that I'd forgotten about him till now.

"I've already sent him a message that you are safe. He is now making the trek back to Vampire Mountain to notify the Princes and Generals there." she assured me.

"Have you, uh, told them about the new development regarding our future?" I asked meekly, wondering if I was overstepping some boundary for diviners.

She smiled at me assuringly as if she'd read my mind - which I think she did - and said "No. I wanted you to be the first to know."

I felt strangely flattered. "Thank you," I said into my cup, eyes lowered embarrassedly. She waved the air dismissively, as if it meant nothing. But I think she was happy I thanked her, if her smile was any indication.

* * *

Time passed quickly as I recovered at Evanna's. My shoulder had been pierced pretty badly, but Evanna had some amazing healing skills. After about a week I could move around without feeling any pain. And three weeks later I was completely healed, and rejuvenated.

But when you gain something, you lose something, I suppose.

I fell sick. Like, _really_ sick. Every morning I would be awakened by some major nausea, and end up puking my guts out to start my day off.

Evanna was baffled. She continuously checked me, diagnosing me in and out, and found nothing wrong. And yet my 'special' morning routine continued.

She held my hair back as I continued to throw up into a large metal bowl. When I was done, she handed me a damp cloth and I wiped my mouth with it, trying not to move my tummy too much so I wouldn't accidentally start off another pukefest.

"Why me?" I whinged, groaning into the metal bowl.

"I do not know," Evanna replied, genuinely puzzled.

I sighed as she set the metal bowl away from me, knowing from experience that the smell of my own vomit could cause me to regurgitate all over again. Unless, of course, I ran out of 'ammo'. Which was usually when I stopped.

"Perhaps I should take you to one of those human doctors..." Evanna said thoughtfully.

I cocked an eyebrow at her sceptically. "So they can arrest me for being a suspect of a series of murders? No thanks,"

"If we go far enough, perhaps they wouldn't know of that incident,"

"Maybe, but what if they want to run a blood test?"

"I shall erase their memories," Evanna replied.

I stared at her, wondering if she was joking. She wasn't. "It's okay, Evanna. It only happens in the mornings anyway. I'm okay the rest of the time." I shrugged.

She stiffened and I looked at her quizzically.

"What?" I asked, surprise at how tense she'd suddenly become.

"Darren, do you remember when The Purge occured to you?" Evanna said, her voice strained.

"Of course," How could I possibly forget something like that?

"And you said the blood used to visit you every month, correct?" she said, her voice low with wonderment.

This time, I went all stiff. "No," I denied immediately. "That's impossible."

"I've often wondered about it. Why would a vampire develop menstruation? I thought it merely some symptom of having been turned so early in life, but now I think not," Evanna paused. I was barely listening, staring at my stomach. I did _have_ a pretty big appetite lately, and my period was definitely late...

I shook my head. It couldn't be possible. And if it was... It would be Steve's. My breath hitched in my throat.

"Both you and Steve Leopard had the potential to become the Lord of the Shadows. And in the years to come, it is said that your children would continue your trail of chaos, wreaking havoc in the world. I always thought your successors would be other beings you'd led up to take your place. But in fact, both of you may actually be able to have children and train them up to replace you," Evanna mused.

I had started hyperventilating by the time she'd finished her speech.

"Oh God." I moaned, holding my head in my hands, the idea starting to become more plausible to me - to my utmost horror.

"However, this whole thing reeks of my father," Evanna said suspiciously. I had been staring at the floor, but at her newest claim, my head snapped up in shock.

"_What?_" I exclaimed, my mouth hanging open.

Evanna, who'd been looking at a painting while reciting her thoughts to me, turned her head to stare at me. "Who else would have the power to allow you to have children? Both you and Leonard?" she looked away, stroking her moustache thoughtfully. "In that case, how much of the Lord of the Shadows did he know? How much did he meddle? I doubt he would have created you both - that's far too much bending of the rules, but to give you both the ability to breed... He probably had no idea that you would both have a child together. I wonder..." she continued muttering, but I shut her out. I didn't want to listen any more.

There was absolute anarchy in my head. What the_ hell_ was going on? When did everything start to get so... impossible? This felt like a bad nightmare. I just wanted to wake up.

Then my stomach gurgled and I became painfully aware of the life growing within me.

"I'm having a baby," I whispered uncomprehendingly. Evanna's mutterings stopped at my quiet statement. "I'm pregnant, and I'm having Steve's baby," I said, just a little louder this time. My eyes started to fill with water. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle the sobs.

"Yes," Evanna said, smiling at me. I'll always remember how beautiful she looked to me at this moment. "Yes, you are."

She held her arms outstretched to me. I threw myself forward, and once again found myself sobbing into the comforting bosom of the Lady of the Wilds.

* * *

I stared at the little, plastic-ish stick in front of me nervously.

"Stop fidgeting," Evanna scolded me.

"Sorry," I apologised. "But basically my entire future rides on this... pee stick," I answered.

Evanna had gone into the nearest town - disguised as something a little more human - and bought me a pregnancy test. I was sceptical about whether it would work, what with me being a vampire. Though I guess most vampires wouldn't get pregnant. Evanna persuaded me that humans and vampires are more alike than I thought, and I decided to just try it.

"Is it done yet?" I asked.

"About a minute more," Evanna answered, seemingly calmer than me. But from the way she was stroking her moustache, I could tell that she was nearly as nervous as me.

I licked my lips and curled my body into a ball, trying to retain some warmth. I couldn't stop shaking. Was it really this cold or was I just so nervous that my body's temperature had dropped several degrees?

Evanna spied me shivering and placed a blanket over me.

"It'll be fine," she said soothingly. I nodded.

But the truth is, I knew it wouldn't be. If I was pregnant - It'll be horrifying. I'll be carrying my archenemy's baby, a product of how he'd forced himself on me. And who knows what might happen to this small life in the dangerous days to come?

If I wasn't pregnant, however - It'll be horrifying too. I would be heartbroken. Already I had envisioned a beautiful baby boy with grey hair and bright blue eyes - Steve's eyes before he'd become a vampaneze. Already I had planned out what our future could be like. All my hopes would be crushed if I wasn't pregnant.

Either way, I was screwed, and in for days of pain and self-pity.

Funny how many things go through your mind while you're waiting for your goddamn pee stick to show it's results.

Then finally, the long dreaded : "It's done,"

I had no idea I was holding my breath until it escaped me in one big sigh.

Evanna held the test in one hand, frowning at it. She seemed to be concentrating really hard, and glanced periodically at the box with the instructions on the back.

Then, for less than a second, I thought I saw the corner of her lips curl up. When she handed both the objects to me, a stoic expression was fixed on her face once more.

I'd already memorised the instructions, so I knew it from the moment I saw it.

I was pregnant.

And by the teeth of the gods, we were doomed. Utterly and totally doomed.

* * *

**A/N: **Actually, does Steve have blue eyes? I was just guessing from Darius's eye colour. He was said to have 'bright blue eyes'. If that's wrong, someone please tell me and I'll correct it.

By the way, the line 'by the teeth of the gods' was a line used by Paris Skyle in book seven (Hunters of the Dusk), when Mr Tiny appears in Vampire Mountain. It seemed, sort of appropriate, so I used it.


	10. Chapter 10 Boring Announcements&Decision

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak. And an unfortunate thing has happened. Someone else borrowed the library books. Darn it, and I so wanted to hog it too! Oh well. At least it means adding an extra person as a Darren Shan fan. Whee!

**A/N: **Okay, I have to admit, I really liked Evanna. And I wanted to explore a sort of sisterly friendship between her and Darren, therefore she's taken on a more important role. For those of you who dislike Evanna - too bad. Because I really like her.

If you ask me, I think this chapter is REALLY boring (Thus the name). I tried to make it better... But couldn't. It contains vital-ish information, so I guess you should read it... But you know, get something to snack on so you don't fall asleep while reading.

Thanks goes to oceancat, MK, jixa15, 9oreo9, meselfi and S.L. Gibbs for your awesome reviews of the last chapter. I'm sorry, but the reviews to the last chapter just made me lol. I don't know why. Maybe it's because you guys sound so 'impacted' by the many developments in the last chapter. And MK, please get a fanfiction . net account so I can whisper my answers to you. Otherwise, just keep reading. I'll put the answers in somewhere. And thanks to everyone who's been R & R-ing, for getting the reviews to a quarter of a hundred! Phrasing it that way just makes me so happy!

* * *

Chapter 10 Boring Announcements, Boring Decisions

"Are you alright?" Evanna would ask me, looking back anxiously every few minutes.

And having fallen into a pleasant routine by now, I would respond with, "I'm fine,"

Then she would turn back to our path, navigating our route, before repeating our five word conversation mere minutes after.

I'm not really complaining though. It was nice to have someone worried about me while I was carrying a baby and walking through snow. Not barefooted, as I had been a few years earlier. Not that shoes really helped. My toes still felt frozen.

I wanted to travel the traditional way, as I had years ago, seeing as how I was a Prince - not Princess, _Prince_ - but Evanna gave me a long lecture as to why I shouldn't. I wasn't really listening, until she made the point that I could get a miscarriage if my body temperature dropped too low.

And the rules about travelling up Vampire Mountain had loosened over the years. I mean, full vampires could flit up it. So a pair of shoes wouldn't hurt much... right?

That is, if it was only a pair of shoes. I was also wearing a heavy trench coat, a woolen knit hat and the thickest pair of fleece pants I had ever had the luck of encountering.

I realised that Evanna and Harkat had something in common. They were both worriers.

Though in my case, I guess it's a good thing. If it was Vancha instead...

I'd be an ice cube in some river, probably.

"We're almost there," Evanna, clad scantily in her usual attire of ropes, showed no sign of being cold. And her hand which was holding mine and guiding me - which was a good thing, because I could start rolling down the mountain if I leaned back too much with my heavy outfit - was downright warm.

Her hand was thick, and her fingers were stubby. It was nothing like Steve's hand. But it was lovely and warm all the same.

We stopped at another resting place, and Evanna started a fire.

As we sat around the fire, I began to have second thoughts about what we were going to do.

"Evanna, maybe we should just turn back... Go into hiding or something..." I squirmed in my seat uncomfortably, feeling restless for more than one reason.

"What are you talking about?" she was focused on cooking the mushrooms and rabbits we'd found on the fire. After it had been confirmed that a life was growing in me, Evanna insisted that we include some sort of protein in my diet. Beliefs were important, she had told me, but children are everything.

"Well, I mean, telling the rest of the vampires that the future is fixed - that's fine. But I'll have to tell the rest eventually that I'm pregnant. With _his _child," A child I'd been carrying for two months now. And _he_ still didn't know.

"Indeed," Evanna agreed. "And when the time comes, you will."

I stared at her dumbly for a second before saying. "Don't you think they'll try to make me abort the child? This is the kid of the Lord of the Vampaneze we're talking about," I argued.

"That is why I am here, is it not?" she retorted. "I shall protect you and the child. There is no vampire that exists that dares go against me."

I frowned. Evanna never wanted to take sides, and I especially didn't want her to do it for me. "But-"

"Hush," she said, reading my mind, as usual. "I am doing this of my own accord, as I always do. I want to protect your progeny, Darren."

A smile spread onto my face without me being totally aware of it.

"Love you, Evanna," I whispered, meaning it.

"As I you," she replied.

_

* * *

A month ago._

_"I don't understand, Evanna, why are you doing all this for me?" I asked quietly, as she once again disposed of my vomit for me._

_It had been something I'd been thinking about for a while. Why did Evanna keep helping me? An altruistic act? Or something a little darker, with the intentions of a true witch?_

_She didn't speak for a long time, staring at one of her paintings instead._

_When she finally opened her mouth, she said. "It's always been expected of me to have a child, one of a vampire's or a vampaneze's. But I've always been... indecisive. Afraid,"_

_She paused, and I remained silent, waiting for her to continue._

_"Why did you decide to keep your child, Darren? You had the opportunity to abort it. Forget all about it. Move on. All odds are against you. Why did you keep it?"_

_"Because!" I exclaimed aggressively, shocked that she'd even suggested abortion, then paused in confusion. Why did I decide to keep it? The thought of abortion practically never crossed my mind. "Because... Because..." I muttered, wondering why._

_"Because you love Steve," Evanna answered._

_I was speechless. Of course Evanna knew. She knew everything. She knew things I didn't want to accept myself._

_"No," I denied, blushing with embarrassment. "I did it because I couldn't let an innocent life die just because we can't settle our differences,"_

_"I admire that, you know." she said._

_I lifted an eyebrow. "Me loving Steve?"_

_"Yes, that too. But I mean having his child despite everything he's done to you, and going against the fate that has been endowed upon you,"_

_"You mean being mortal enemies?"_

_"Yes," she said. "And I know that if I were in your place - and someday I might be - I would wish for someone to help me. To not be alone in this rather terrifying quest or bringing a new life into this world."_

* * *

I silently vowed that the day Evanna has her kids, I'll be there for her no matter what. She deserves that much.

"We're almost there," she informed me. I nodded.

Vampire Mountain.

It was a place that filled me with both terror and joy. I'd been nearly exiled, as well as gained my position as a Prince here. I'd met so many people here - Arra Sails, Seba Nile, Vanez Blane, Paris Skyle.

_We lost so many people too._ I thought, thinking of Gavner, Arra and Paris.

If only us vampires could settle our difference with the vampaneze. I'm sure we could co-exist somehow. The world's big enough for both clans, right? Then we wouldn't have had to lose so many good people, fight so many useless wars, experience so much heartache.

I shook my head. I was a Prince. It wouldn't do any good thinking of such impossible things.

"Come," Evanna said, taking my hand and leading me into the dark tunnels that practically made up Vampire Mountain.

* * *

Harkat was overjoyed to see me. His sloppily stitched face seemed a little tired and strained. He'd been worrying about me.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he warned me. I nodded sheepishly, giving him a hug.

"So, Arrow left?" I asked Harkat as Evanna continued to walk quickly before us. I had to jog to keep up.

"Yes. If not, you wouldn't be here," The Little Person told me, stating the obvious. I rolled my eyes, but was glad for his company once again.

News of my return - and Evanna's appearance - spread quickly, causing an uproar.

She ignored them and their chatter, and continued to lead us to the Hall of Princes. She was going to make her announcement.

The question was, was _I _going to make _my _announcement?

Evanna barged into the Hall of Princes, not even needing to place her palm on the doors. She simply flicked her wrist and it opened.

"Evanna!" Vancha said, falling off his throne in surprise.

"Lady!" Mika exclaimed, staring at the witch, his jaw dropping.

"Gather your brethren. I bring news," she said simply.

"News?" Mika echoed.

"Yes," she answered patiently. Mika wasted no time, barking orders to the other vampires, telling them to summon every other vampire to the Hall of Princes. I felt a strange sense of Deja Vu, reflecting on how Mr Tiny had made his appearance nearly a year ago in pratically the same way. But no one feared Evanna the way they feared Mr Tiny.

Vancha came up to Harkat and I silently.

"What's going on?" he asked, confused.

"Vancha!" I shouted, and threw my arms around his neck, having to tiptoe so I could reach it.

He laughed. "Nice to see you too, Darren," he pushed me back gently and studied me closely. He looked disapprovingly at my attire. "Did something happen?" he asked. "You look... different,"

"How so?" I asked, frowning.

"She's put on some weight," Harkat answered.

I swivelled my neck to stare at him, my brain swirling around his blunt comment, my mouth hanging open stupidly. Then I turned to look at Vancha, then peered at myself.

"What? No!" I said defiantly.

"Yes," Harkat and Vancha said in unison. I glared at them both.

But before I could say anything, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around, and was tackled by a feisty, dark-skinned woman.

"Darren!" Debbie squealed excitedly.

"_Debbie?_" I exclaimed, hugging her back tightly. "What are you doing here?" Then I spotted a familiar white haired woman behind her. "_Alice!_"

The former Chief Inspector smiled at me. "Darren," she greeted me calmly. I beamed at her.

"What- How?" I sputtered. Debbie opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by Evanna clearing her throat. She was standing on the platform of thrones, and was getting ready to speak.

"My dearest vampires. As you've probably heard, I bring news. One that's neither good, nor bad, but vital all the same," Evanna spoke in her gravelly voice, her low tones reaching even the back of the hall.

She took a deep breath. "The future has been determined." A chorus of horrified gasps rang out. "What my father said - about there being four encounters with the Lord of the Vampaneze, four chances to save your clan? There is no way to determine if that is applicable or not any more. What you do now, have very little probability of changing the future. There is only one 'can be,' and 'will be' now,"

By this point, the chorus of gasps had increased into an outraged chatter, and people began calling out in protests,thinking that this was Evanna's doing somehow.

"But the hunters and the Lord of the Vampaneze are still alive!" one called out.

"Since the future is set, we might as well all go out and hunt the Vampaneze Lord right now!" another shouted.

"Yes, to Below Paradise with Tiny and his rules!"

Evanna just watched them with a neutral expression, but to me who had been living with her for a while, her expression seemed a little cold.

"Silence!" Mika shouted, and the drone of protests tapered off. Mika's voice and face was strained and worried, he too could feel the hopelessness of the situation, but he was a Prince first and foremost.

"If you would all like to recklessly go on a suicide mission and doom your entire clan, go ahead," Evanna said, her eyes hard and voice cold. "But I would implore to use some sense instead of relying solely on your 'luck of the vampires'. Do not underestimate the vampaneze. They are cunning, and more durable than you think."

The vampires were silent. The atmosphere was so tense, I felt like I couldn't breathe properly.

"What future takes place, Lady Evanna? Will you tell us that at least?" Mika asked finally.

"I do not know," Evanna confessed. "This is a rare case, a future that only has one possibility, and when it happens, no diviner is able to see what it is and how it happens. In fact, it is the only time when we are able to act as humans do - with no rules to restrain us,"

"Does that mean you're siding with us, Lady?" Vancha called out from beside me.

Evanna regarded him coolly and said "I have no interest in the squabble of children. I am here to inform you of the latest development and..." she trailed off, looking at me. I shook my head.

I didn't want to tell all these people about my sex life. No thanks.

Later, and only to the Princes and maybe Debbie, Alice and Harkat. But not in front of my blood brother and sisters. Not when so much was at stake.

The other vampires will find out eventually.

"Alright then. That is all the news I have to deliver." Evanna said, then shut her mouth with a snap and stepped back.

The rest of the vampires looked to Vancha, Mika and I. It was times like these that I really wished Paris was still around. He'd know the best course of action.

"If we were to ambush the vampaneze, we might be able to kill the Lord of the Vampaneze. He isn't expecting an attack from all of us," Mika said hesitantly.

Evanna let out a harsh bark of laughter. "As I was heading here, my father was heading for the vampaneze. They, too will be informed that the future is fixed. Their Lord will know that you will be making desperate attempts, and he will prepare for that," Then the witch fell silent again, as the chatters once again erupted, more frantic this time.

"Silence!" Mika called. Once again, the noise diminished at his command.

"I say we wait," Vancha said finally. All heads turned to the green-haired Prince. "We wait and watch for their next move. There is nothing more we can do right now. We don't know what this future might be. We don't even know if the Vampaneze will destroy our clan any more." he paused and looked to Evanna. "Am I right so far, my Lady?"

She nodded, an approving smile on her face.

"Are you suggesting we just lay back and relax while they plan and plot ways to destroy us?" a General called out.

"No," Vancha sniffed. "We stay on our guard, plan counter-measures. But we won't make any rash decisions until we find out more about our situation. Are we in agreement, Mika?" He asked the raven haired vampire.

Mika nodded gravely.

Vancha turned to me. "Darren?"

"Of course," I said, nodding.

"Until we make a decision, we shall resume our activities, and do as Vancha said," Mika said, and the vampires acquiesced somewhat reluctantly.

The vampires shuffled towards the door. I looked back towards Evanna and saw her talking to Mika. She knew what I was going to do.

_Now or never. _I told myself as I asked Vancha, Debbie, Alice and Harkat to stay behind as well.

"There's something I need to tell you." They regarded me warily. They'd seen the silent exchange between me and Evanna when she'd prompted me to make my announcement.

It was a while until the last vampire had left the Hall of Princes, muttering conspiratorially about the newest development.

Evanna came to stand by me supportively. I smiled at her gratefully.

"What is it, Darren?" Vancha asked.

"Well, it's about the week I went missing. I take it you've heard that, yes?"

They nodded quietly.

"You were kidnapped by Leonard," Vancha said. I nodded.

"Yeah, and well, the thing is... He kind of..." I muttered, flustered about what I was trying to say.

"Yes?" Mika asked encouragingly. "Did he torture you?"

"...Uh. Sort of..." I blushed, mortified at having to confess what he'd do done to me to my senior Princes and friends..

Debbie was the first to figure it out. "Oh God," she said. "He didn't."

The rest looked at her like she was crazy, but I knew she got it.

That's the thing with best friends. They always know everything.

Except with Steve and the whole I-never-wanted-to-be-a-vampire thing. He's a bit of an idiot, you see.

"Oh, you poor thing," Debbie said, wrapping her arms around me.

"I'm okay. It's over now," I patted her arm to show her it was fine.

"What are you talking about?" Vancha asked, bewildered.

"Obviously, that _scum _forced himself on her," Debbie hissed in a low voice.

I saw the look of realisation dawning on their faces.

"Is this true?" Mika asked, his voice low and strained.

I nodded. Harkat started grinding his jagged teeth together really loudly. An obvious sign that he was angry. Vancha's face went from shocked to outraged. Then he looked like he just wanted to bash somebody up. Alice started to play with her knife sheath, stern determination on her face.

"It's alright, guys. It's over. There's nothing more we can do about that,"

"Except kill Leonard," Vancha growled.

"Yeah, I guess so. But we have more... pressing matters," I looked to Evanna for guidance. She nodded her head to them, encouraging me to spill the beans. "Okay, you guys know how I'm the only female vampire to menstruate? It turns out there's a reason for that..."

Their facial expressions told me that all of them understood within that single uttered sentence. But I said the whole terrible truth out loud anyway, I wanted to make sure that I got my point across, that no misunderstandings had happened.

"I'm pregnant. And it's the_ Lord of the Vampaneze's_,"

* * *

They did not react well. Having aggressive, warrior-type friends is _not _a good thing. Half of them wanted to go out and kill Steve on an impromptu mission of vengeance, the rest eyed my belly dangerously.

But I told them that it was still half _my _kid, and I was keeping it. And that they didn't have the first clue where to find Steve. They didn't say anything more after that. Though Mika seemed unhappy about my decision.

But the fact that I was fertile despite being a vampire sidetracked them for a while. Nobody had any answers, and Evanna remained tight-lipped about her Lord of the Shadows-being-able-to-have-children theory. She hadn't told anyone about the Lord of the Shadows - except me - and obviously didn't plan to.

Debbie debriefed me on why Alice and her were at Vampire Mountain. Apparently they had wanted to contribute to the War of the Scars, to form their own band of humans to battle the gun-wielding vampets. Right now they were in training, the same training given to Generals before they went out in the field.

I was amazed by that. The ever-wintry mountain was a difficult place to live in without the enhanced blood of the vampires. But so far they were managing.

It wasn't long before the vampires found out about my condition. I didn't tell my friends to keep it a secret, knowing that in my stay at Vampire Mountain, my belly would definitely increase in size as a normal pregnant woman's would. Soon they came to ask me about the already flowing rumours, and I set them straight.

I didn't tell anyone who the father was, asking those privy to my secret to keep that between us. I didn't want to cause a mob protest.

Evanna continued to keep an eye on me, informing me that my pregnancy was one similar to a human's, with three trimesters, and an estimated carrying period of nine months.

I continued to puke every morning. And I was practically draining Vampire Mountain's resources single-handedly. Rhamus Twobellies would be proud of me if he'd seen how much food I devoured in the space of a day.

I always thought that pregnancy would be one of those life-changing things, where every moment would be special and unique. It wasn't. In fact, aside from the slight discomfort, life was normal.

And within the blink of an eye, _six months passed_.

Debbie and Alice left Vampire Mountain as soon their training was over. They went out to recruit other humans, to form their resistance against the vampets. During their stay I got to spend a lot of time with Debbie, and we renewed our recently neglected friendship. It saddened me to watch her leave, as it did her. But she promised me that when this was all over, we would spend all the time we had together.

They deliver reports on their status every once in a while. Recently they'd started recruiting tramps, the homeless, having a brainwave that these people were the ultimate victims and therefore the most willing to fight for their cause.

They'd even thought up a name for their group. The vampirites.

Evanna had left Vampire Mountain once, but returned shortly after. Her clairvoyant skills had yet to return, but she confessed that she didn't miss it. She was enjoying her freedom and ability to help me through my pregnancy, as well as being able to do whatever the hell she wanted without having to worry about rules and consequences. Life was good for her at the moment.

Life in Vampire Mountain was boring and unchanging, but I loved it. After all the drama and complications I'd had in my life lately, Vampire Mountain was something akin to Paradise. I could even convince myself that what I'd felt for Steve was a mere infatuation. I didn't love him.

"How are you feeling?" Mika asked me in concern as I shifted on my throne uncomfortably.

"I'm fine," I said. For practically all of the vampires in Vampire Mountain, I was the first pregnant woman they'd ever encountered, and the delicacy with which they treated me was _ridiculous_. Mika, of course, was one of them. Though he wasn't as bad as some of the Generals. They wanted to put cushions on my throne in the Hall of Princes. _Cushions. _I thought they were joking. I was a vampire. Significantly stronger than any other human. And they wanted to put _cushions _on my _chair._

And, okay, I was pregnant. But that didn't make it any less _ludicrous._

In fact, you should have seen their faces the first time my baby kicked me. Everyone in the room had heard the dull thud, and they crowded around me like I was some kind of street attraction. _Every_ one of them wanted to touch my belly.

I had a feeling that my kid was going to have an abundant amount of godfathers - and godmothers, but less - on Vampire Mountain.

I tried to study the map over my huge belly. It didn't work very well. Someone brought over a wooden chair they'd placed near the maps just for me.

"Thank you," I muttered abashedly, a bit chagrined at the fact that other, more experienced vampires were overindulging me this way. But according to Vancha, they were enjoying it, so I let them.

A cluster of red and yellow flags on the map caught my eye. (A/N: In case you don't remember, yellow flags represent vampaneze, and red represents the vampires losing) I didn't remember seeing it a mere few days ago. Had it cropped up recently?

We had fully expected the vampaneze's strategy of attack to significantly change after it had been revealed that nothing we could do could change the future now, but they didn't. Their attacks simply intensified gradually, as a war as long as ours would. That disappointed me. I had thought up some pretty good counter-measures and safeguards against their attacks, which had now gone to waste. Steve must have known that we would think up ways to fight back against any attacks from the vampaneze.

So we were engaged in a sort of cold war. Both sides continued with the normal war, but also waited for either side to make a move before planning anything that could turn the tables. And neither side made any move. It was a tense, breathless waiting period. I hated it.

I continued to stare at the mass of reds and yellows, curious as to the location of such an area. I leaned over it, and my stomach dropped as I registered the name.

Why? What was Steve planning? Was it a trap?

"I see. When is he coming back?" Vancha's voice rang out grimly.

"Soon. As soon as you can leave, perhaps," Mika replied. I was barely registering their conversation.

"So it should be either me or Darren," My ears perked up at the sound of my name and I lifted my head to stare in their direction.

"Or me," Mika said. "It might not be a good idea for Darren to be travelling in her state,"

"I agree," Vancha replied thoughtfully.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Arrow's coming back?" I wondered, that was the only explanation I could come up with, deducing it from their vague conversation.

"Yes, he's been injured," Mika answered. He went on, seeing my concerned face. "It isn't life-threatening, but enough to immobilise him. It would be best for him to return and recover,"

"Which means one of us have to go," I concluded. Both my fellow Princes nodded. I glanced back at the maps and gritted my teeth. I felt the subtle pull of fate, and the voice of my heart whispering in my ear. This was something I had to do. But I was eight months pregnant. I was ready to pop anytime now. Mika wasn't joking when he said I was unfit to travel.

But as always, going against my destiny was _impossible_.

"I'll go," I said quietly.

"What? No," Vancha answered immediately.

"Vancha. Look at this," I said. Vancha walked towards me, followed by Mika. I pointed to the red and yellow flags. "This... is my hometown. It's where Steve and I grew up. Look at all the vampaneze. He wants me to go back."

"It's a trap," Vancha said. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course it's a trap. But both you and I know that it's time we settled this. I can't just keep hiding away from him, allowing him to corner me and killing off any more innocent bystanders caught in his net of hatred,"

"So you'd risk your child for that?" Vancha asked. "Don't make hasty decisions, Darren. An act like this is too risky,"

"Those who take risks may not live, but those who don't take risks, never really live at all," I said, quoting a line I'd heard somewhere. It sounded a bit lame, but would work to my advantage in this context. "My heart says I need to do this, Vancha."

He pursed his lips.

"You're right. My hearts tells me the same. This is the stupidest decision ever made, but alright," he sighed "I'll go with you," Vancha said.

I smiled, stupidly proud of how I'd convinced Vancha to allow me to do what I selfishly wanted.

Innocence really is bliss.

I suppose if I'd simply stayed at Vampire Mountain, I could have avoided all that pain. But at the same time, I'd never realise that the impossible really is quite possible after all.

**

* * *

A/N: **I know this sounds weird, but I really don't get what Darren's thinking. She's so confused and fickle. She can't seem to make up her mind about Steve. And it's all his fault, really.

Btw, just a small note that I'm not going to have Darren worry about the whole Lord of the Shadows aspect because she knows the future is set and she's already super-worried about her baby. And to be truthful, if I introduce that, I think _I'm_ going to get even more confused.

Sorry that this update is late by a day. I have five tests next week, and been studying like crazy. Hopefully, after next week I'll be able to resume my normal efficiency.


	11. Chapter 11 I Hate Love

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak or any of it's characters... yet.

**A/N:** I know this is the latest I've ever updated, and I am really and truly sorry. Let's just say this has been the longest week of my life and I'm glad it's over. And seriously, I'd love to blame it all on school but let's just say a particular reality TV show has got me so hooked I spent six hours straight watching it and bawling my eyes out. But anyway! A wonderfully long chapter to make up for my tardiness~

As always, special thanks go to the wonderful SUSHIxMONSTER, MK (iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs), S.L. Gibbs and Jixa15 for their reviews of the last chapter. You guys are awesome, and I wuv you guys.

* * *

Chapter 11 I Hate Love

I munched on a small piece of sausage, looking around at the green foliage all around us. We were camping out in the forest-like area some way away from my hometown to avoid me being recognised. Sixteen years may have passed, but I had only grown four years or so, and was heavily pregnant. People stared at me wherever I went. I mean, how often do you see a pregnant sixteen year old? Okay, quite often, but that didn't stop the disdainful glances.

I managed a subtle glance at my other companions sitting around the campfire, analysing the tiniest details about them.

There was, of course, my constantly worried protector, the grey-skinned, green-eyed Harkat. I watched him checking if the sausages were cooked with his practically nerveless fingers. He was a friend I could count on, no matter the situation. His presence on this trip was expected, and I welcomed him fully.

Then there was Vancha, a burly, green-haired vampire Prince who was currently picking his nose shamelessly. I screwed up my nose at him and moved on to the next person before his disgusting habits made me puke. Despite that, I was happy he was here.

Evanna, the inhuman witch with mismatched eyes. I told her numerous times that she didn't have to follow me on this trip. She merely shook her head and smiled, then proceeded to make preparations to leave.

The other two people sitting around the campfire were people I was not as familiar with. They were two Generals who'd just finished their training and had been assigned to help guard me. My outraged protests had fallen on deaf ears.

Xylo Mills was a large, muscle-bound vampire with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He had more scars than I could count, and an extremely silent disposition. When he had been assigned to be one of my bodyguards, I tried talking him out of it and had obtained single-syllables in response.

Like:

_"Hey, you know, you don't have to come along with us," _

_"Hn,"_

_"Mika is seriously overreacting. I'm pregnant, not dying. I don't need guards. I can take care of myself,"_

_"Oh,"_

_"So, this whole job? It's not an order, so don't worry. You can decline if you want."_

_"Hmm,"_

See what I mean?

But he came along anyway. Damn it.

The other was Jace Keenan, a small, slim man who seemed to lack enthusiasm in anything.

Like:

_"I was just telling Xylo that this guarding task isn't an order. It's alright to say no."_

_"Okay,"_

_"Seriously."_

_"Sure."_

_"So... You're going to decline, right?"_

_"No."_

_"Why?" I whined frustratedly, overwhelmed with guilt. Why was everyone making such a big deal out of everything?_

_"Because I don't really care either way,"_

Yeah. It's really annoying, you know, to be treated like some little damsel in distress.

And I wasn't even in distress. As I'd already mentioned, I was pregnant, not dying. I was perfectly fine as I am.

"You're not going to explore the town, are you?" Vancha asked, snapping me out of my silent, mental rant.

"I don't know..." I replied. "But we do need to investigate the location of the vampaneze... Not to mention be on guard against any of Steve's traps." I listed off. Vancha nodded in agreement.

"If you are going to go, make sure one of us are accompanying you," he said. "As you've mentioned, we need to be vigilant against Steve's cunning. You never know what kind of evil plan's been formulated in his head,"

I nodded, but wasn't planning on going into town. Too much deeply buried memories. I shied away from the thought of digging up all those painful times.

We spent the night chatting - Vancha, Harkat, Evanna and I. Xylo and Jace didn't contribute much, though we tried to include them in our conversations - and by the time we went to sleep it was early in the morning.

At noon or so I woke up gasping. Recently I had been waking up pale and panting, but with no recollection of what I'd been dreaming about.

I sat up slowly, careful not to wake Evanna, and rubbed the back of my neck. The midday sun hung high in the sky and small slivers of light peeked through the opening of the tent.

Stealthily, I crawled over to the entrance of the tent and pulled the flaps aside, leaving the tent in search of some water.

After drinking my fill and washing my face, I went back to the tent and sat outside of it. I was still wide awake, and I knew that there was no way I would fall back asleep.

I looked over to the end of the horizon, where my childhood town sat. The buildings shone and glistened in the blazing sun, encasing the town in a radiant glow. I sighed longingly. I was both attracted and repelled to the idea of re-visiting my town.

If I went, all the feelings of regret and pain I'd suppressed for so long - they would all come back and hit me like a truck speeding down a highway.

The more I thought about it, the more tempted I got. It was like the town was coaxing me from afar.

_Come, Darren Shan. Return to where you belong._

I wish I had better self-control. Was I a masochist or what?

Noticing the golden rays of heat radiating from the sun, I realised that I couldn't ask any of my vampire escorts to go with me in this bright sunlight - which left Harkat and Evanna.

Evanna was out of the question. I had troubled her enough. And watching her sleep so soundly just made me feel plain guilty.

I peeked into the tent Harkat shared with Vancha and immediately registered the dim shade of his green eyes. Harkat was sleeping. That made me wonder when exactly he fell asleep, considering that he only slept four or five hours in total.

Sighing, I shrugged. It's not as if any of the vampaneze could attack me either at this time of day, and I doubted Gannen would allow Steve the half-vampire to attack me alone. And if I was in places with lots of people they would be unlikely to attack me anyway. Also, we'd seen no sign of any vampaneze nearby. Vancha was being just a little paranoid. It would only be a short tour anyway. I kept telling myself these things, assuring myself that what I was doing wouldn't doom our clan forever.

I wore a trench coat with a hood and a scarf that covered half my face, so that it would be more difficult for people to recognise me. If I wasn't pregnant, remaining imperceptible would have been much easier, as my gigantic bump tended to attract attention, but I couldn't really do much about that.

It was a bright, sunny day, but a chill remained in the air. I drew my coat tighter around me.

As I stepped into town, happy goosebumps started appearing on my arms. There really wasn't much that had changed. Sure, there were some new buildings, others redesigned or redecorated - but the names remained the same.

Each place I passed brought back a new memory. I smiled at each, enjoying the pleasant feeling of nostalgia.

I explored the central shopping area, then visited my favourite parks.

One had become a housing estate, but the other remained the same. I brushed my hand against the bark of a tree. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had.

Then I decided to do what I knew would be the most challenging task yet.

I walked slowly to my old house. I guessed that Andy probably wouldn't be there, but my parents may be.

The house took my breath away. It hadn't changed. Same colour door, same style curtains, same small garden out the back. All the memories came rushing back. My knees felt weak, and I had to grip the top of the fence to steady myself.

"May I help you?" a man asked politely behind me. I jumped like I had been hit by a bolt of lightning and released the fence. My already horrible lack of balance combined with my lack of steadiness due to the sudden emotional turmoil made me fall horribly. At the last minute the man caught me.

"Are you alright?" he asked, shocked at my reaction to his simple question.

"I'm... fine!" I said, struggling to get back to my feet, staring at the ground accusatorily.

Then I lifted my head... And caught sight of a familiar black-haired man. He had aged considerably since the last time I'd seen him - grown a lot taller and bigger, gained some wrinkles. But I recognised him at first sight. And so did he.

"_Darren Shan?_" he gasped.

"_Tommy Jones?_" I exclaimed. I'd seen very few people I'd recognised while in town, then all of a sudden one of my _best friends _appears before my eyes.

Ironic, isn't it?

Tommy was beyond astonished to see me after I had been declared deceased sixteen years ago, looking only a few years older though more than one and a half decades had gone past. Not to mention the well-defined bump sticking out from under my trench coat.

I spun a hasty, far-fetched tale to explain myself, informing Tommy that I had contracted a rare disease that prevented me from ageing normally, and I had only had five or six years to live. Then the Cirque Du Freak came to town, and with them came an extraordinary physician who said he could help me if he could constantly monitor me. My parents grasped this sliver of hope and helped me fake my death so I could travel with the illegal circus troupe of freaks. The physician didn't cure me, but managed to extend my life, as could be seen by how I was still alive.

At first, Tommy was so shocked that he couldn't comprehend a thing I said, but then he regained some clarity and was outraged by what I'd done and how much it had hurt everyone.

"Especially Steve. It was never the same between us after you were gone," Tommy told me as we sat on a secluded-ish park bench. My ears perked up at the S-name, as it so often did over the years.

"I'm sorry. But it was for the best," I said.

Tommy was still unhappy about what I told him we had deemed the best course of action, but said nothing more about it. He proceeded to tell me about the reason he was in town. Apparently he had become a well-known goal keeper for one of the biggest football teams in the world. I was so excited for him. It was something he'd always wanted. In fact, we had aimed for professional football careers together - me as a striker and Tommy as goalkeeper.

He'd returned to town due to a game he was due to play nearby.

"Today's the only off-day we really get. Tomorrow we start training again for the game," He glanced at his watch and stood up abruptly. "Shoot. I was supposed to have an evening meal with-" He cut off suddenly, looking at me as if contemplating something. "Actually, you should come along,"

I looked at him stupidly. "What?"

"I had an appointment to meet up with Alan Morris. Remember him?" I gaped at my old best friend.

"He's here?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah. He's visiting his granddad, and heard I was in town," Tommy answered. "We can tell him all about your condition. He may even be able to help. He's a geneticist, you know,"

I bit my lip. "I don't know... I only told you because I had ran into you, Tommy. To purposely tell Alan that I'm not in fact, dead is a whole different thing..."

"It's time you tell people the truth, Darren. We can take it. We aren't kids anymore, but we _are_ still friends," Tommy told me. I'm not so sure why I did it. Maybe it's just that I missed my friends, and I hated the way we'd separated. I smiled slightly, and nodded, deciding to tell my half-truth to Alan, estatic at having an excuse to see him again.

Tommy chivalrously offered me his hand to help me stand up, I smiled and accepted his help gratefully. My coordination skills had been slightly impaired by the fact that I was practically ready to go into labour at any moment.

"Where's the dad, anyway?" Tommy asked me as we walked out of the park. I stumbled in surprise at the question but managed to regain my footing at the last minute.

"He's... not around," I muttered. Tommy eyes softened with pity. He didn't know what to say.

"Oh. I see," he said finally. I smiled wryly at him, wondering if I'll ever tell him that it was Steve who did this to me.

* * *

The seat vibrated as I shook nervously in it. Tommy had rented a booth a distance away from all the other restaurant customers so I could tell my story with ease. Alan was late and I was getting more edgy by the second.

"Relax," Tommy said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Sorry," I sighed, trying to stay still. "I just have this weird feeling that I shouldn't be here,"

"Relax," he said again. "He'll be here, and we'll have a great get-together. If only Steve was here, we could have a complete reunion." I twitched but said nothing. The wait was agonizing. I looked out the window, seeing the sun set steadily and darkness fall over the town. Crazy scenarios ran through my head. What if the vampaneze had found out that I was here and Steve had harmed Alan to get to me or something? I trembled and Tommy chastised me once again, thinking that I was simply anxious at Alan's reaction to my backstory. Finally, Tommy voiced out two words that had me sighing in release.

"He's here and - Oh..." Tommy choked off in surprise. I looked back curiously, having heard two sets of footsteps approaching us. I gasped.

Alan Morris was there, of course, looking older and wiser. As wise as Alan could get, anyway.

That wasn't what shocked me. What took me completely by surprise was the man standing next to him.

"_Steve Leopard?_" Tommy gasped out. He had been astonished enough to see me, then his old buddy Steve appears.

Great. Fantastic. Could it get any worse?

"_Darren Shan?_" Alan's voice rang out with amazement.

Oh yeah, it could.

I focused entirely on the Lord of the Vampaneze. His eyes had a slightly red tinge to them, his long grey hair hung loose over his shoulders - they'd grown a little - and he was once again attired in all black. On his chest one thing stood out - glistening brightly against his all dark clothing was the cross that matched mine. My heart thumped and I resisted the urge to reach out and touch mine. Aside from the hair length and eye colour, he didn't look any different from eight months ago, when he'd gotten me pregnant. The thought of that made me go cold.

He was staring intently at my swollen midriff. I tried concealing it, moving to my side so that the table blocked it, uncomfortable under his scrutinising gaze.

For a long time, no one said anything. Tommy was too busy processing this amazing coincidence, Alan was too busy trying to make sense of me, the walking corpse and Steve was too busy trying to make sense of the fact that I was expecting.

And me? I was too busy trying to think of a way to _get out of there._

Then Steve cleared his throat.

"Well," he said. "This is awkward."

This encouraged Alan to force out a few words or, you know, just _one_. "H-How!" he sputtered, pointing to me and blinking furiously.

"Um, well, how about you take a seat and I'll tell you all about it," I said, patting the seat beside me. Alan moved, but Steve was faster than him and slid into the seat beside me before he could. Alan dumbly stared at Steve for a few seconds before moving to sit next to Tommy. I glared at Steve but he ignored me.

His vampaneze stench was getting on my nerves. The only consolation was that my vampire scent was probably annoying him too. Then again, from the way he hadn't minded me sharing his coffin, maybe not.

"Go on," Alan said tensely, and I opened my mouth to repeat the rather badly formulated tale I'd used on Tommy.

Steve wouldn't shut up about it. He scoffed lightly at my story, particularly the part about my 'physician', sometimes laughing in low chuckles to himself. I stepped on his foot thrice, and glared at him. He glared back. Luckily, Alan was too engrossed in my fake story to realise. I did, however, notice Tommy glancing between to two of us and frowning. Steve merely beamed back innocently, which made me want to hurt him even more.

"A sickness that stunts the ageing process?" Alan asked in wonderment. I nodded hesitantly, not liking the curious twinkle in his eye.

"And causes you to die early," I added morbidly. "I'm just lucky, that's all,"

"_I'll_ say..." Alan said. Then he paused, thinking.

_Don't say what I think you're going to say. _I prayed.

"Would you mind if I did some experiments on you?" he said finally. I knew it.

I glared at him. "I know I'm a freak, Alan. No need to add to it,"

"No! I don't mean it that way. It's just that... Such a sickness could be the spring of eternal youth everyone's been looking for. And if we could twist the DNA, make it less harmful..." he muttered.

"Absolutely not. Find someone else," I huffed. "I've had enough guinea pig role playing. The only time I'll ever go back to a hospital now is when my kid is born," That, of course, was a lie. I doubt I'd go to a hospital to give birth. It was too risky.

"Alright," Alan said dejectedly, giving in. "Speaking of which, whose bun is in your oven anyway?"

A cold sweat broke out over my palms. I could feel Steve straighten up at that.

"Well..." I started reluctantly. Then Alan howled in pain and Tommy glared at him.

"What?" Alan mouthed, massaging his aching foot. Tommy just shook his head in the least subtle way I'd ever seen. I cleared my throat.

"You see..." I started again, then paused. "It's-"

"Mine," Steve said suddenly, a strange smile on his face. My head swivelled around towards him so suddenly that my neck cricked in protest.

"What - seriously?" Tommy asked, mouth hanging open.

"Yeah, duh," Steve shrugged, sneaking an arm behind me, draping it over the shoulder furthest from him (my left shoulder). I tried to subtly shrug it off, but he ignored me. "Isn't that right, honey?"

I frowned, but couldn't deny it. It was the truth after all. I plastered a cheesy, patronising smile on my face. "Right, dear," His grin grew even wider. I rolled my eyes, dropping the smile.

"So that's why you didn't seem surprised to see her," Tommy noted.

"And those..." Alan gestured at our chests. I looked down to see my cross winking in the light. Annoyed, I slipped it into my shirt. Tommy lifted an eyebrow at that, his mind was probably, like mine, flashing back to when I told him that 'the father' wasn't around.

"Yeah, I ran into her a while back and we just reconnected," he explained, grinning pointedly at me.

"I see. Then what happened?" Tommy prompted.

_He shot me. _I voiced mentally. "We had some... differences we couldn't overcome," I said.

"She left," Steve added.

"I did _not _leave, I was kicked out," I corrected, thinking of how I'd fallen down the garbage chute.

"I would never kick you out, _dearest_,"

"Yes, you would, _sweetie pie_," I said in an exaggerated sweet tone, mimicking his.

"So you guys are together?" Alan asked, confused.

"No," I said.

"Yes," Steve said at the same time I did.

"No?" Alan echoed.

"Yes?" Tommy repeated at the same time as Alan had.

"There are a lot of details we have to work out," I said. "But yes, he's the dad," I decided that coming clean was probably the best thing I could do at that moment.

"Well, then... Congratulations," Alan said, still confused.

"Thanks. Can we get some alcohol here?" I asked, my voice shaky. I felt like this evening could not get any worse.

"Now, now, alcohol's bad for the baby," Steve said in an extremely annoying voice, patting my stomach gently.

_Don't slap him. _I had to tell myself._ Don't slap him, not yet. Later, when you have an alibi..._

We proceeded to order our meal and continue on with dinner. At first, dinner was tense and the conversation stressful, but then we got to our childhood memories and the atmosphere changed dramatically. We laughed at our own stupidity, what we'd gotten up to as children. They told me stories of things after I'd been gone, too. For a moment, I felt totally at home. Even Steve's constant touch on me didn't seem that annoying.

"Yeah, then when Mr Dalton caught us, Steve actually talked him out of giving us a detention. I still can't believe that," Alan laughed.

"Mr Dalton always liked Steve," I commented lightly.

"Yeah, even when he caught Steve making regular trips to the girls' bathroom," Tommy added. "I can't believe anyone would still like Steve after knowing that,"

"Speak for yourself, Darren didn't seem to have any trouble liking Steve. Well, I guess that makes sense since she was the reason he did it so frequently." Alan said slyly.

"Hey!" I protested. "You're just jealous because you would've been called a perv had you been the one to do it,"

"He's a perv anyway," Steve said, earning a kick from Alan which he avoided swiftly. "Besides," Steve said. "We were in sixth grade. There wasn't much to see in the girls' toilet anyway. Not yet,"

That earned him a few wolf-whistles.

I rolled my eyes. "Men," I said, shaking my head with disgust.

"You know, you used to be willing to do anything just to be considered male," Alan reminded me.

"That-" I started, trying to deny it but finding that I couldn't. "That's true," I muttered. Alan started laughing.

"At least she was great as a male and a female," Steve cut in. "You're not very successful as a male, and I doubt you'd have more luck as a female,"

Tommy went 'ooooh' at that comment.

I stared at Steve. He winked at me. I didn't know what to feel. Annoyed? Or flattered that he'd defended me? For some reason the list of things Gannen had said Steve had done for me popped into my head. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

Was it possible to hate and love someone as much as I did Steve? This was so frustrating.

_Wait a second. _I stopped myself._ I do not love Steve. I do not love Steve. Not anymore. He shot me. I hate him. I hate him. Grrr!_

It was as I was thinking this that Steve's hand - which wasn't behind me anymore, due to the fact that he had to eat dinner - moved to where my hand was under the table and his fingers slipped in between mine, making a tight lattice between our hands. I looked up at him, confused. His face showed no signs of acknowledging that action.

Thanks, Steve, for bewildering me even more.

What was worse? I didn't even shake it off. I left it closed around mine, enjoying the feel of his warm skin against mine once again.

I was such a saddo.

Tommy paid the bill, assuring us that the amount of money he had used really wasn't that much. I peeked at the receipt with my enhanced vampire eyesight and nearly gasped out loud. Steve smirked at my reaction, having seen it too.

We walked through the street of places we'd played at together, reminiscing.

"You mean he actually got caught?" I asked as we passed an old wall which had been vandalised years ago by someone we knew, and had expected to have gotten away with it.

"Yeah. Some old lady finally found the courage to turn him in. He cursed her all the way to the police station. She flipped him the finger in reply," Alan informed me.

"Wow. Geriatrics are scary," I commented, wide-eyed. We continued our trek, seemingly going nowhere. Steve's fingers were still laced around mine. I shivered, the night chill had descended over the velvety darkness and every few minutes a cold breeze blew through the night. Steve drew me closer, placing an arm around me.

"Cold?" he whispered.

I nodded gratefully as he shielded me from the cold wind. I really didn't understand Steve. Was this all a front to fool Tommy and Alan? And if so, why? To make me trust him once again? To use Tommy and Alan as hostages?

I was distracted from my thoughts as we came across a familiar building. It was my house, and it was in complete darkness. No lights shone from the windows. It was utterly dark. This new revelation made me feel even colder inside for some reason. Where were my parents? Were they in there? Why were they going to sleep so early? Had Andy joined them?

I looked at the place which used to be my home longingly. For the first time in years, I wished I had never become a vampire.

"Your parents moved away four or five years ago," Tommy told me quietly, noticing my gaze. "They left for the coast,"

"Oh. Is that so," I said, masking my relief.

"Yeah. Dermot had a mild heart attack, so-"

"Heart attack?" I snapped. For a second, the whole world seemed to turn and spin. I leaned heavily against Steve and Steve held me comfortingly, stroking my hand with his thumb.

"Mild. _Mild_, Darren. He's fine. They suffered a lot after they lost you. Things were never the same," Tommy said quietly.

I bit my lip guiltily. "I'm sorry, guys," I said, my voice sounded small and ashamed.

"It's already passed. You did what you had to," Alan shrugged. I nodded, still feeling somewhat shamefaced.

"If you had a chance to re-do it all again, would you choose _not_ to go with that 'physician'?" Steve asked, eyes boring into mine. "Even at the risk of losing your life instead?"

"Of course," I whispered. "I would've sacrificed myself if it meant you guys would've been happy. You know that, Steve," _You know I would have sacrificed myself over and over again if it would make you happy, Steve. _I tried to tell him telepathically. His eyes continued to bore into mine for about a minute more, then he looked away. I sighed, knowing that my message hadn't reached him. But he drew me closer to him, tightening his hold around me.

_Oh, God, I am so in love with him. _I groaned mentally, unable to deny it any longer, feeling the buzz of endorphins as he protectively held me closer to his side.

"Hey, look! It's the park we used to play in!" Alan called out suddenly.

The four of us stared at the park. It was a big park, with a miniature-ish soccer field in the middle of it. It was lit up by lamp posts scattered around the park, so we had no difficulty maneuvering through the park. We used to go to the soccer field everyday, and end up getting told off for not doing our homework the next day.

Tommy bent down and picked up a stray soccer ball.

"Kids must have left it behind," he said, turning it over and examining it.

Alan slapped it out of his hands and it landed on the ground. With a swift kick, it flew towards the goal. Alan chased after it, further guiding it towards the goal.

"Oh no you don't!" Tommy shouted and bounded after Alan. Alan let out a victorious bark of laughter and kept going. Tommy intercepted him in no time, and kicked the ball in the opposite direction. It glided steadily towards me. I kicked it back to them excitedly, making sure not to use my inhuman power to do so.

The ball flew towards Tommy. I surged forward to join them but Steve held me back.

"No," he said warningly, resting one hand on my tummy.

I groaned. "Aw, Steve!" I protested like a child. He smirked at me, removed his scarf and looped it around the scarf I was already wearing.

"Stay warm," he told me. "Don't worry, I'll play for you and me both," He winked and left me to join the other two guys, subtly using his heightened speed and strength as an advantage to steal the ball from them. I watched in partial awe as he somehow concealed the fact that he was superhuman and yet was obviously playing better than they were.

I pushed away my reverence for him and pouted, upset to be left behind, but it wasn't long before I was cheering and laughing my head off at their antics. I was so glad the park was pretty far away from any residential houses. We were making a fair bit of noise.

About fifteen minutes later, they collapsed on the field, tired and satisfied. I jogged over to join them. Steve, who was sitting up on the grass, pulled me into his lap and kissed my neck lightly. I allowed him and actually giggled, feeling some leftover euphoria from being with my friends once again.

For a long time, we just stayed like that. A comfortable silence fell upon us, interrupted only by their panting as they tried to catch their breath.

"Oh crap," Tommy said, sitting up abruptly and glancing at his wrist watch. "I've got to go or my manager will sack me!"

"Right. I should get going too. I think granddad's waiting up for me," Alan said, getting up from his reclining position and standing up shakily.

I got off from Steve's lap and stood up, but found that I couldn't. My unborn child was impeding my efforts to stand. Steve, noticing my difficulties, stood up and helped me to my feet.

Seriously. How could I _not _have fallen in love with him all over again. He was just so... _nice_ when he was like this.

Tommy turned to me. "Where are you staying?" he asked.

"Oh, some motel nearby..." I said airily, trying to fake my way through. Tommy gave me a concerned look, and I felt touched by his chivalry.

"I'll take her home," Steve said.

Tommy brightened up. "Really? Great! Keep them safe, alright?" He said, gesturing to both me and my big belly.

"Be careful of any robbers. It's pretty late," Alan warned. Steve rolled his eyes. I resisted the urge to laugh. Robbers winning against a half-vampaneze and a (pregnant) half-vampire? Unthinkable.

"We'll be fine. Go," he said, making a shooing motion at them both.

They smirked. "See you, Darren, Steve," Alan said, winking as he walked off.

"Glad you're both alive. Let's catch up later," We nodded. Then he paused. "Actually, would you guys like to come to my game? It's the day after tomorrow. I can send you guys tickets. We always have some extra for friends and family. We can go to lunch after or something,"

"What, really?" I gasped excitedly. I hadn't seen a football in years, much less a football game. He nodded.

"How about you, Steve?" Tommy asked, gaining his answer from my enthusiastic reaction. Steve glanced at me sideways contemplatively. I tilted my head to one side, telepathically asking him to go. He turned back to Tommy.

"Sure. Not like I have anything better to do," he said in a slightly sarcastic tone. I rolled my eyes. Probably had prior engagements in planning the doom of the vampire clan.

Tommy smiled. "Great! I'll leave some tickets for you guys. You better be there." he said, then kissed me on the cheek. I stared at him in surprise. Tommy left to chase after Alan, as they were heading the same way. Steve glared at his retreating back and I felt blood rush to my cheeks in a pleasant manner.

Steve and I watched them go. I felt sorry to see two of my closest friends leaving - people I'd probably never see again after this.

Then Steve arms around me loosened, and dropped completely.

"The guy who had sex with you... It's not either of them, is it?" Steve asked suddenly, his voice cold. He watched Alan and Tommy walk away laughing to themselves about something the other had said.

"...huh?" I frowned in confusion. What the hell was he talking about now? He turned his head to glare at me coldly.

"Obviously, the person who fathered your child isn't either of them. But he's some other human, isn't he? Oh well, he can't be too hard to find. After all, if he can win you over and actually get you pregnant, he's probably a moron who doesn't know how to cover his tracks." Steve shrugged, then stepped closer to me. "And when I find him, I'll rip out his heart myself," Steve hissed at me.

I just stared at him at first, gaping rudely. Then I groaned frustratedly.

Steve had conveniently found another reason to hate me.

For someone so intelligent and cunning, he was just so... so... _so stupid_.

I wondered if I was like one of those heroines in the soap operas my mum used to watch. You know, the ones that swoon for jerks no matter what they do to her? Doormats, I think they were called. And in those ideal romances, usually the heroines can change the jerk to become less... jerky.

Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen in real life.

Tommy and Alan turned back, and waved at us. Steve waved back. I ignored them.

I shook my head frantically. "No, Steve, you _are_ the dad,"

"Liar!" he growled. "Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not!" I shouted back. "You're the father of my ch-"

Before I could get out another word, his mouth descended on mine, and he kissed me harshly. I moaned into his mouth, my pregnancy hormones kicking in. It felt _so good_ to be kissed once again.

And yet, so _bad_. It took all of my willpower to try and push him off. He didn't budge. So I lifted my right hand and slapped him with everything I had. He immediately broke off and stared at me incredulously.

"You are such an asshole," I snarled at him. "You're so goddamn paranoid! Can you stop thinking of yourself as the victim for one second? God!"

I threw my hands in the air for dramatic effect, then proceeded to stomp off. As I turned away, I caught sight of Steve covering his right cheek with his palm, a surprised expression on his face.

"Well, I _am_ the victim," Steve said lamely from behind me. I ignored him and continued to walk away from him, then broke out in a run. I didn't want to be near him anymore.

I didn't get very far. I ended up panting, gasping for air and sobbing within ten minutes. My vision was blurry and I couldn't think straight.

Argh, how many times did I have to fall for the guy before I learnt my lesson? God, was I submissive or what? I just let him walk all over me.

_No more. _I swore to myself. _From now on, I won't let him play around with me like this._

I swiped the back of my hand across my face, roughly wiping away the snot and tears.

"Uh... You alright?" came a voice behind me. I turned to see Vancha looking at me in concern. I'd never been so glad to see the filthy vampire.

I threw my arms around his waist and broke down completely, unsure of why I was even crying. The guy was a jerk. I had no reason to feel hurt.

Yeah, and pigs could fly.

Vancha watched me quietly as I flooded his muddy, purple animal hides with my tears.

_Stupid pregnancy mood swings. Stupid Steve. Stupid vampaneze. Stupid soppy love songs. Stupid love. I hate them all._

_I hate love._

_I really, really do._

* * *

**A/N:** Xylo means wood in Greek, while Jace means healer in Greek as well. I don't know why I went for Greek names. They just sounded cool, I guess? To be truthful, Xylo and Jace don't really have much of a role to play in this fic. I just wanted to prove a point that Mr Tiny's rules weren't really in effect anymore. And that Mika's a paranoid sweetie.

Man, having to write what Darren is thinking is so difficult. She has such complicated thoughts. As you can tell, it's absolute anarchy up there, and it's throwing my writing style into complete disarray. Therefore, I'm just going to apologise beforehand. Because, to be truthful, half the time I don't quite know what I'm writing.

Sorry about Steve being such a retard. It's just that he has as much issues to work through as Darren does. Hopefully after this he gets a little less screwed up.

The next few updates may come a little slower. Sorry. But it's my last week of school before the holidays come! So hopefully I'll have some time to work and finish off this story. I can promise you that we're nearing the end.

By the way, as soon as I can get around to it, I have this short one-shot depicting Steve's thoughts when he found out Darren was preggers, seeing as people had mentioned a burning curiosity for our favourite Lord's response to the news that Darren's expecting. I'm not so sure what I'll call it yet, but I'll be sure to mention it in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12 Que Sera Sera

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, or plot, or anything in the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak that's appeared in this fic. Nor do I own anything to even do with the Darren Shan Saga. Man, I do not like being broke.

**A/N: **I have to admit, I've never actually been to a football game, so I don't know if the stadiums have counters, or if people actually hand in their tickets there but go along with it for my sake, please? I know what I'm saying doesn't make sense now, but it will soon.

Just to clarify in case anyone's confused, but Steve still doesn't think Darren's preggers with his child. He still thinks it's so human's. Or at least, he's trying really hard to think that way. Ah, denial.

Special thanks to Jixa15, S.L. Gibbs, iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs, SUSHIxMONSTER and 9oreo9 for their awesomely awesome reviews of the last chapter.

* * *

Chapter 12 Que Sera Sera

They didn't scold me.

I was fully expecting them too. I mean, I had left after telling them that I :

1) Wouldn't visit my hometown

2) Would leave with an escort if I actually did go for a visit.

I didn't do either of those things. So yes, I was expecting to get a full on lecture from Harkat or Evanna about my disability to stick to what I said I'd do.

But when I strolled up with Vancha, his purple animal hides practically dripping with salt water and arms around me comfortingly, as well as my puffy red eyes, tear-streaked face as well as leaky nose; they couldn't say anything.

In fact, Evanna actually helped put me to bed.

Much to my disappointment.

I wanted them to chastise me, to tell me harshly that this is what happens to naughty pregnant women who disobeys orders. I wanted them to alleviate this heavy feeling of guilt that I couldn't seem to shake off, because they were right. I'm an idiot, and Steve is a jerk.

The next day I stayed in the tent all day, staring at my make-shift pillow as if it would give me the answer to all my problems. It was just a bundle of cloth, folded several times to provide some bouncy comfort. Not very pretty, but not bad either.

I memorised it's shape and colour, and when I was done with that, I moved on to the creases and dents in the fabric that outlined the shape of my head. In the time I took to finish analysing and dedicating it's every detail to memory, I had come no closer to finding a solution to my problem.

My problem being that I could not get out of bed.

And my pregnancy hormones only served to amplify my confusion.

Evanna came to talk to me twice, speaking carefully and hesitantly, as if treading lightly on eggs. I assured her that I was fine. She didn't believe me - of course - and merely watched me stare at my pillow in silence.

I was still strangely fascinated by my sort-of pillow when night fell. I just kept my eyes on it, not processing much else.

"Any sign of the vampaneze?" I heard Vancha ask. I tried to concentrate on their conversation, to attend to my Princely duties as much as I was able to at that moment. I vaguely registered a low crackling sound - a fire had been built.

"No..." Jace answered. "I asked around, but everyone's excited about the football game that's happening tomorrow. A rare occurrence, apparently. No one would give me the answers I was looking for,"

I sat up abruptly, shocked into action. This earned me a curious look from Evanna. The football game. I'd promised Tommy I'd be there. As did Steve.

_Steve_. My brain groaned, my heart sighed. Of all people, he just _had _to be the Lord of the Vampaneze.

"We need to find the vampaneze. Despite the future being set, I have a feeling that we will have our predicted final encounter with them. It's time to settle this," Vancha said seriously.

"I agree," Harkat nodded. "That is what my heart... says as well,"

"As do I. Agree, that is," I said, pushing aside the tent flaps. My friends stared at me. I must have looked a sight. I couldn't recall the last time I combed my hair, I could feel the sore puffiness of my eyes, my face dirty with tear streaks, not to mention that I was so heavily pregnant that I had difficulty standing on legs numb from inaction.

I moved forward to sit by the warm fire, Evanna hot on my heels, silent and thoughtful.

"My friend, Tommy is playing in tomorrow's game. He said he'd set aside tickets for both Steve and I at tomorrow's game." I paused. "Steve's probably plotting something, and we should do the same. Tomorrow's our best chance to engage them."

"I see," Vancha said, his expression slightly doubtful. "Are you sure we can trust this Tommy friend of yours?"

"It might be a trap," Harkat agreed, a suspicious look on his face.

I shook my head. "It's a football game. Hundreds of people are going to be there, if not thousands. The vampaneze can't act in the public," I said. "That would be risking too much," _At least I hope so. _I thought, but just managed from speaking it out loud.

"So what are you suggesting?" Jace asked.

"Hmm," Xylo made an agreeing noise.

"We could follow Steve back to his base." I suggested hesitantly.

"Not a good idea. Remember what happened last time?" Vancha said.

"True," I said. "But I say we should follow him anyway. We could maintain a safe distance, not follow him into the base. Gain a small clue as to where approximately his location might be. There aren't any underground mazes, so it should be relatively easier,"

"As far as you know," Harkat argued.

I bit my lip. "That's true," I conceded.

"And we don't know that the Vampaneze Lord if going to show." Jace commented.

"That's true," I said again. My plan was as holey as swiss cheese.

"I don't like this plan," Vancha said, reading my mind. "Too many maybes."

"From this point on, no matter what you do there will be a lot of maybes," Evanna said, her tone grave. "I, too, would rather Darren stay safe, but nothing will be solved if you keep retreating,"

"Yeah," I said, nodding vigorously. I shot Evanna a grateful smile, but her worried frown just deepened further, her wisdom-filled eyes conveying her concern.

"I don't know..." Vancha said cautiously. He ran a hand through his hair, distressed. The rest of us remained silent. Aside from Evanna, who was basically an advisor, Vancha held the highest seniority and the final decision was ultimately his.

We waited, the crackling of the fire and the thick silence the only backtrack to our strange meeting.

"Alright," Vancha said finally. "We'll try."

I felt the corner of my lips turn upward slightly in a smile.

"_But_," he continued. "When it gets to the chasing part, _we'll_ chase him. Not you," My mouth reversed it's slow process of turning upwards, facing downwards in a frown.

"What?" I sputtered, eyebrows knitted together.

"And," he continued. "We won't just follow him to his base. If we see a chance, we'll kill him. The future may be set, but this may be the decision that solves it," I gaped at him. He turned to Evanna.

"Lady, can I expect you to keep Darren safe?" Vancha asked the witch.

"But of course," She looked offended that he'd even suggest such a thing.

"Good," he smiled at the tiny witch. Then his eyes fell on me once again. "You won't take any unnecessary risks, will you?"

"No," I promised. "Not unless it's justified."

"Well then. That's settled!" he said cheerfully. I gave everyone a weak smile.

"Yes. Thank you... for repeatedly forgiving me," I said meekly.

"You say that as if we... have a choice," Harkat said in amusement. I punched his arm.

"I'll be so glad when this war is over, Leonard is dead and I don't have to watch you cry over him anymore," Vancha said, spitting a large glob of green slime into the fire.

That made me chew on my lower lip. Steve was an idiot and a jerk, but did I really want him to die? For the first time in a while, panic started to rise from my chest, constricting my throat. Feelings of confliction and indecision returned.

Evanna sensed my worry and placed a comforting hand over mine.

"It'll be alright," she said calmly. "Whatever will happen, will happen. Whatever must be, must be,"

"Que Sera Sera?" I joked, thinking of a song my mother used to sing as she did housework.

"Yes," she smiled slightly. "Que Sera Sera."

I smiled back at her, but though my head understood and accepted her words, my heart refused to shut up.

* * *

"Huh," I said to myself. I stood before the stadium, staring at the ticket booths. I couldn't get in. Somewhere further around the stadium Vancha and my other companions watched me carefully. I was to find Steve and signal our location to them.

That is, if I could find Tommy to get my ticket. I was totally regretting lying to him about where I was staying.

"Well, this is a pickle," I said to no one in particular. My kiddo kicked me, as if frustrated with my stupidity as well. I gave my swollen bump a look of annoyance. People around me stared at me, giving me weird looks. I ignored them and continued on to the ticket booth, hoping that Tommy left them the tickets or something.

I stood in line, protecting my unborn child as best I could as avid football fans boxed me in on all sides.

When I finally got to the counter, I sighed in relief. There was a little more space there. The man behind the counter was young, stick-thin, and had a face full of angry-looking acne. He looked me up, then down scrutinisingly. "Can I help you?" he asked in what I thought to be a scornful tone. I ignored it as best I could.

"Yeah, my friend's playing in today's game and I think he left me a ticket. My name's Darren Shan,"

"Yeah, sure," he said scornfully. "How 'bout you take your business elsewhere?"

I blinked. "_Excuse me?_"

"Yeah, you heard me. We don't need your kind around here," he scoffed.

I looked down at myself. I had cleaned up a little in light of today, and changed into a clean pair of clothes. They were a little crumpled, and I was a little scruffy, but I didn't by far look like a prostitute, which was what he'd made clear he'd thought of me as. Hell, I was pregnant and wearing a scarf as well as a trench coat. I was completely and totally demure.

Okay, the pregnant part probably didn't help, but whatever.

The guy was even jerkier than Steve, and that was saying a lot.

"Please go before I call security," he said, nose screwed up in disgust.

"Look, you-" I said, my already aggravated temper flaring up.

"Sorry I'm late," Someone interrupted me, slipping an arm around my waist and kissing my cheek. I struggled and spun around, coming face to face with the Lord of the Vampaneze. I looked around. Where the _hell _had he popped up from? He certainly wasn't waiting in line behind me - I would have smelt him. Then I caught sight of the annoyed expressions on the people lined up behind me.

So he cut the queue, why am I not surprised?

"You got a problem with my wife?" Steve asked the counter-boy. I resisted the urge to hit my chests with my fists as my heart began beating faster at what Steve had referred to me as.

"Your wife claims she had a ticket left for her by a 'friend she had playing the game'," He put two fingers in the air, making invisible quotation marks.

"So she did, and it's right here," Steve produced two tickets from his coat pocket. "Ever hear of Tom Jones?"

The ticket boy stared at the blatant signature on the tickets. Steve smiled at him sweetly. I glared.

In a daze, the boy let us in, leaving with us our personally signed ticket stubs.

As soon as we were out of sight of the counter, I stamped on Steve's foot. He grunted in surprise and released his hold on my waist.

I stomped off, studying my ticket stub for my seat.

Kick-off wasn't for another thirty minutes, and I kind of wanted to browse through all the football merchandise - some of which was of Tommy likened to the artist 'Tom Jones' - that was being sold in stalls around the stadium, but my sulking took first priority. Then Steve took a seat beside me. I glared at him.

"Why don't you sit there?" I asked, pointing to an empty seat three rows above me, where I wouldn't have to see him.

"Because," he answered patiently, as if I were a spoilt, stubborn child. "That's not my seat. This is my seat," He held out his ticket stub in front of my face. I turned my head away.

"And when have you ever followed the rules?" I grumbled under my breath.

"I follow the rules all the time." he shrugged. "Just not all of them,"

I gritted my teeth angrily. Was he always this _infuriating? _It seemed like his annoying factor had risen a few just today.

A sort of silence fell over us, as I studiously looked _away_ from him, at some random part of the floodlit pitch.

_I am just here for the sake of the vampire clan. That's the only reason._ I told myself, encouraging myself to bear with Steve just a bit longer. _No matter what happens, my duties to the vampire clan takes precendence over anything else._

* * *

At least, that's what I kept telling myself. But it wasn't long until I reverted to my childish self, yelling and screaming for Tommy. Steve wasn't as loud as I was - but he was just as excited.

I won't bore you with all the tedious details of football, as there is absolutely no way I can convey how _awesome _this match was, but all you have to know was that it was a close one, but Tommy won in the end.

In my victory cheer frenzy, I hugged the person closest to me, who also happened to be the father of my child. Much to my astonishment, he didn't push me away or make a snide comment, merely held me close. It was at times like these that I thought, _I don't want Steve to die. _

Later, when we pulled away, I thought I saw a sort of sorrow in his eyes, an emotion that was mirrored in mine. He knew what I was thinking, without me having to say it, because it was the same thing on his mind. This would be the last we saw of each other under such circumstances. It could be the last time we saw each other _ever_. We were enemies, rivals, adversaries. The idea of being together in the first place was a nonsensical concept. One that had always been impossible.

He placed a light, gentle kiss on my forehead and left, in a similar fashion to how we parted in the cemetery.

I watched him go, slumping back into my seat. All around, people rejoiced over the conquest of Tommy's team. Their bouncy, joyful cheering framed my line of vision, but my eyes were focused on Steve's back as he retreated. I started tearing up involuntarily.

Steve was nearly at the exit when I remembered my responsibilities as a Prince. I whipped out my mobile phone and stared blankly at the screen. This could be the sentencing, the swing of the axe that beheads him.

I could hardly see the screen as I typed out the message to Jace, my tears had gathered to the point that it impaired my vision. I bowed my head in shame and let out an agonised cry as I pressed the send button. People stared at me in concern at my odd behaviour, but I didn't care. None of them could possibly understand what I was going through.

_Sorry, baby. _I said mentally to my stomach. _You won't be meeting your real daddy. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... Steve._

I stared out into the empty field, sitting numbly in my seat. My tears had dried up, leaving my eyes sore and dry. All the fans of the victorious team had left, taking their celebration elsewhere. The fans of the opposing team had also left, taking their moping to pubs and bars. One would drink joyfully, the other would mourn. Either way there would be loads of people drinking tonight Oh, how I wanted to be one of them.

For different reasons, but with the same destination in mind. Onwards to Happyland.

Thoughts like these kept running through my mind. It was as if my brain was doing anything it could not to process the fact that Steve may be dead already.

I just had to think of it.

_Oh God. _I groaned, bending over as far as I could, feeling like I was going to be ill.

"It's okay," Someone said soothingly. I looked to my side to see a relatively calm Evanna. "It's alright," she repeated, cradling my head with her thick arms.

It wasn't until much later that we finally got back to our campsite. No one was back there yet. That made me even more sick.

Losing Steve was bad enough; if I lost Harkat and Vancha - and even Xylo and Jace, for that matter - as well to vengeful vampaneze, I'd shatter into a million pieces. And no damn king's horses or men could ever put me back together again.

Evanna tutted me when I told her my thoughts and told me to go to sleep, I needed it.

"And I have to attend to some business," she said quietly. If I had been more attentive, I would have noticed the strange tone in her voice.

"Alright," I said, uncomprehending as I laid my head down on my improvised pillow as Evanna left the tent, the soft wisps of fabric and canvas the only proof that she had left.

I tried to will myself to sleep - to no avail.

All I could do was wait; worried, exhausted and lonely.

* * *

**A/N: **For once, I'm early-ish. Yays. Sorry about the last couple of weeks. Things have been hectic. The good thing is that I got straight A's, so now I have more time for you guys.

Remember how in the last chapter I mentioned that I'd written a short fic of Steve's reaction after finding out that Darren's pregnant? Yeah, I called it Never-Ever. I think. It might change, but that's the name so far.


	13. Chapter 13 Cruel Twist of Fate

**Disclaimer: **I've never and will probably continue to not own the plot/character of the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak.

**A/N:** ...worst chapter ever. Well, kinda. Sort of. I don't know.

As I promised, an early chapter. Not much can be said for it's quality though.

Thanks to SUSHIxMONSTER, S.L. Gibbs, iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs (Whose name is really hard to type, by the way), meselfi and X-Jinxa-X for their amazing reviews of the last chappie! Whee! I'm so happy at how much the reviews are going up~

And thanks to everybody whose added this story to their favourite/alerts. Some of you don't review, but I can feel your love. Thank you so much.

* * *

Chapter 13 Cruel Twist Of Fate

The time at which I fell asleep remains unclear. All I know is that I slipped into a deep, all-encompassing sleep, where I dreamt a familiar dream.

_A white dress. A lacey veil. Promise rings. A gentle brush of lips on the top of my forehead. A grey-haired child running towards us. I lifted him into my arms._

I woke up once again before I could look into my kid's face by the sound of feet thudding against hard, solid ground. I sat up abruptly, immediately on guard. In my groggy state, I only registered one instinct - to protect my child.

I unsheathed my knife and held it in a defensive position. The footsteps neared, then paused before my tent. A grey, pudgy pair of hands pushed aside the flaps to reveal a hideous zombie - Harkat.

I dropped my knife as I rushed forward to embrace him.

"You're safe!" I gasped. "You're safe!" I had started hyperventilating a little.

"Of course we are," Vancha said, pretending to be offended that I'd even suggest that they wouldn't be safe. He was grinning, but it seemed like a cover-up for something else. He seemed tense, more so than usual. As did everyone else.

"What's wrong?" I asked immediately. I felt hope flare to life within me. "Did you kill Steve?"

Vancha's eyed me, searching for some indication of disappointment or worry. All he found was hope. He looked at me in concern. "Darren. Steve is our enemy. He's going to cause the doom of the vampire clan, he killed Larten and he violated you,"

I blushed, embarrassed at my blatant lack of loyalty. "I know," I muttered, bowing my head and staring at the ground.

He sighed. "But the answer to your question is no,"

I lifted my head, trying to control the smile threatening to break out on my face. _Steve isn't dead! _Something was singing - really badly - in my head. "How?" I asked. He was alone, and taken by surprise. The three vampires - and one Little Person - should have been able to take him out easy.

"With the cunning of a fox and the slipperiness of an eel?" Jace answered nonchalantly.

"I don't think slipperiness is... a word," Harkat responded.

"He got away?" I asked, trying to make sense of the ambiguity with which they were conversing.

"In a nutshell," Vancha said flippantly, but his unhappiness about letting Steve escape showed.

"Oh," I said, mixed feelings overwhelming me. Damn Steve and his screwy ways. My head's gotten so messed up just from the existence of this man alone. I didn't know whether to scream in joy, scream in terror or scream in frustration.

"But he did leave something behind," Vancha said slowly, hesitantly. He had seen my obviously lingering affection for my childhood friend and sweetheart.

"What was it?" I asked, equally unsure and wary. Vancha reached into a pocket he'd sewn onto his clothes and handed a folded piece of paper to me.

Removing it from his hand, I quickly unfolded it. On it were a series of numbers. I scanned the first few numbers quickly. It was extremely familiar.

"This is-" I started.

"I already solved it," Jace answered before I could get any further. He reached into his pocket and took out his mobile phone. He keyed in a few numbers before handing it to me.

"I told him about the door in the tunnels. Jace is pretty good at numbers and alphabets, so he solved it,"

Silence fell as I hastily read the message on the phone screen, then re-read it.

_Dear Darren,_

_We've come a long way, haven't we? But I think our journey's coming full circle._

_Only, we have more people joining us, like our dear friends whose company we missed last time. Of course, they don't seem very happy to be joining us, especially Tommy. Maybe they just don't like being bound and gagged?_

_If you want them alive, come to where it all began. That shouldn't be too hard to figure out. After all you're a smart girl, aren't you, Darren?_

_Hugs and kisses,_

_Steve Leopard._

"Where it all began?" I stared at that line, voicing out my thoughts unconsciously, frowning at the bright screen of the electronic device.

"Indeed. I'm guessing it's something only you would know," Vancha said.

"I... I don't know," I mumbled in reply, deep in thought. What was Steve talking about? My house? No, that's too unclear._ Where it all began_. What exactly did he mean by 'it'?_ What_ began?

Then it all clicked.

"The old cinema theater. That's where the Cirque Du Freak first performed when it came by our town. That's where we first met Mr Crepsley. That's where it all began." My mind flashed back to the many events that occurred there even as I was speaking. Madame Octa. The Cirque Du Freak. Vampires. Snakes. Spiders. And the mysterious Little People. Had it only been a little under two decades since it happened? It felt longer.

"It makes sense. Things like that are important... to maniacs," Harkat remarked mildly. His comment struck a small nerve within me, but I ignored it. From what I could understand in his message, Steve had kidnapped Tommy, and probably Alan as well. Being defensive of his sanity was the last thing on my mind at the moment.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. I was anxious. I wanted to just rush off and save my best friends, and was narrowly able to control myself.

"We'll go to this old cinema theater. And you stay," Vancha said immediately. Xylo, Jace and Harkat nodded in agreement. I glared at them.

"No! No way in hell!" I shouted. "These are_ my _friends! I'm not leaving their lives in anyone's hands!"

"Even at the risk of your child?" Harkat asked quietly.

I snorted. "My baby will be fine. He's stronger than you think. _We're_ stronger than you think." I said, with more confidence than I felt. All I know was that I had this desperate urge to help my friends, screw the consequences.

I didn't even register the fact that I'd called my baby a 'he'.

The three vampires, and Little Person stared at me contemplatively.

"Besides, there's no telling what Steve will do when he sees me missing. He wants me there. That's why the letter's addressed to me. I need to be there," I reasoned. The doubtful looks on their faces didn't let up.

"Please." I forced out through gritted teeth.

"Well. If you want to that badly..." Vancha said finally. "But don't expect us to protect you. You enter the battlefield, you pull your own weight,"

"In case you haven't noticed, I haven't asked _anyone_ to protect me," I informed him.

"Right," Vancha grinned, a strained ghost of a smile. The grin diminished slowly as he realised something. "Where's Evanna?"

I stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Evanna. She came to get you, right?"

"Right. She left after escorting me back here... She said she had some business... ?" I said unsurely. In that horrible state I was in, I hadn't paid much attention to my surroundings.

"That sounds strange..." Vancha noted.

"It does," Harkat agreed. "Perhaps it is a sign of... something,"

"Maybe this so-called future is about to come to pass," Jace said suddenly. We stared at him wearily. At least I did.

What we had been waiting for. This was it.

I was kind of hoping I'd have given birth when this happened.

But if wishes were horses, beggars would sell them and make a fortune.

"Alright then. Let's go. Darren," Vancha said. I nodded and we set off, charging right into the unknown.

As we were travelling, I noted that Vancha seemed to be concentrating on something. I asked him what was wrong, but he merely smiled reassuringly.

Something was fishy.

* * *

Like the house I'd lived in for twelve years, nothing had changed with the old theater, but unlike the buildings in my town, it hadn't been refurbished or renovated in any way. It looked as rundown as ever.

Years ago I looked upon this building with fear and excitement, and now I looked upon it with fear and anxiety. I placed my hand on my belly for some support or comfort, but my baby had been strangely still. I could still feel him or her moving about every few minutes - he was alive, but usually he was an unforgiving kicker. And he hadn't been kicking. Maybe he could feel the intensity of the situation we were in?

Goosebumps ran through my body, making it tingle. I pulled my coat flaps around me tighter.

A movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at Vancha who was subtly glancing around.

Again, I found something to be fishy, but this was Vancha. Maybe there was something he knew that I was to find out? None of our other companions found his behaviour to be strange, after all.

That made me feel a little hurt, that they'd left me out of the loop. But I trusted their judgement. I'm sure it was for my own good.

So I said nothing as we trudged towards the entrance, slowly and cautiously.

The first thing I noticed was that the curtains were gone. When Steve and I first encountered this place to watch the Cirque Du Freak, there had been curtains in place. It was gone now.

As we neared the auditorium, the heartbeats grew louder. At first I thought it was my own, but with every step I took, it got louder. Louder till the point that it was deafening. And the stench in the air filled my nostrils, the air was saturated with the smell of vampaneze and human vampets. As well as gunpowder.

They were ready for us. I tried not to tremble at their sheer numbers. Back in the Cave, we were outnumbered. Here, we were doomed. Death wasn't a risk, it was an eventuality.

We stepped into the auditorium, the only sounds were of our thudding footsteps, each one louder than the one before and the thrum of heart beats and breathing in the background. Red eyes shone from the darkness, menacingly eyeing their prey.

Which, unfortunately, was us.

We waited for them to make their move in the pure blackness of the theater.

Then, a powerful spotlight sprang to life right onto us. We gasped, surprised and disoriented. For a few vulnerable moments, I was completely blinded, as were my companions. We were totally open, undefended.

It would have been easy to take us out in those few seconds, considering their numbers. Hell, it would have been easy to take us out with those numbers, period.

But they didn't. As my vision cleared, my gaze trailed automatically to the stage, where logs stood, obscuring a figure in green robes from my view. But I saw enough of him to know who he was. Near him I saw glimpses of a hook-handed monster, a weary-looking vampaneze looking out of place with his neat appearance, and a miserable-looking, young vampet, his hand gripped the arrow-gun limply by his side. I tried not to contemplate the depressed look on his face, but couldn't help the relief that flooded my body to see that he was still alive.

"Steve," I called out quietly. With our superhuman hearing, I could have whispered from several miles away and he would have heard me. "Where's Tommy and Alan?"

His eyes rose upwards slowly, to two figures bound and hanging from a rope limply, unconscious. I let out a curse and darted forward, only to be stopped by Harkat's thick, short hand. I growled at him, the low, throaty sound joining the drone of heart beats in the background.

I felt a sharp jab as my baby kicked me, sensing my rising anger and concern for my friends. I bit my lip, ceasing my struggle against my best friend.

"Steve. What is it that you want?" I forced out through gritted teeth.

"Your death. Or the green-haired sire's," Steve shrugged nonchalantly. "You can pick," His voice was calm, accepting. He knew we were nearing the end, as did I.

"You think we'll just give up our lives like that?" Vancha scoffed.

"Maybe," he said, looking straight at me. "Maybe not. I'm prepared for it, either way," The murderous crowd behind us shifted eagerly at his words, some even hissing impatiently. Some vampets readied their guns, releasing the safety with a click.

My companions tensed guardedly, as did I. Was this really and truly the end? I stared at my stomach. Pure, unadulterated fear overcame me. Fear for my unborn child. Why did I decide to come here? It wasn't like me, making stupid decisions like that. I loved this baby so much - so why the hell was I here? I repeated apologies over and over in my head, relying on the telepathic bonds between a mother and her child to convey my message. It kicked me, as if acknowledging my apologies.

I smiled slightly at the understanding of my infant and looked up. Steve was staring at me, a look of fury and hate contorting his face. But there was something else there, something he was trying desperately to hide._ Was it hurt?_ I wondered curiously.

"So I see the hellspawn still has yet to be born?" He asked, his gaze cold.

"You mean your hellspawn?" I snarled back.

"No, I mean that pathetic human's hellspawn," He snapped back, spitting the words out from behind gritted teeth.

"He's more of a pathetic half-vampaneze," I retorted. His eyes narrowed murderously, and I thought he was going to leap out from behind the log and attack me. Then he let out an exasperated sigh.

"So. Are you going to let our two beloved friends die?" He ignored my earlier comment. "Because their lives are in your hands, Darren Shan," He lifted two fingers high in the air, and my two friends came flying down. I sucked in a horrified breath, a second passed as they plunged several metres before stopping abruptly, the rope going taut. Neither Tommy nor Alan stirred.

Steve watched my face carefully, grinning at the clear terror on my face. I was panting - my body had reacted to the situation and the adrenaline in my veins beckoned me to bolt forward and save my friends. It was only the constant kicking that held me back.

"Come out," Vancha said. "Come out and we'll strike a deal,"

"Of course..." he said. "Not! You think I'm stupid? The moment I step away from this log you'll strike me down," Steve cackled.

"Then how do you want to do this trade?" Vancha asked, his voice rising slightly in irritation.

"Hmmm... Let me think," Steve said, pausing thoughtfully, allowing a tense silence to permeate the air. "How about you let the pregnant girl come onto the stage and I'll lower the hostages,"

"Slowly," I added cautiously.

He rolled his eyes. "I'll lower the hostages slowly,"

"Alive," I added once more, wary of my sadistic ex-lover. He twitched in annoyance.

"I'll lower the hostages _slowly_, and _alive_,"

"I don't trust you," I said, finally.

He started gritting his teeth. I smirked, strangely happy at being able to rile Steve up. I think my pregnancy hormones were getting to me. "Gannen, help me swear on your life that if Darren comes here we'll let the hostages go in one piece."

"I swear on my life that if the Vampire Princess-" Wince. "-comes here, we'll release the hostages unharmed," Gannen's voice came from behind a log. He had yet to show his face, possibly regretting ever blooding Steve. I liked to think so anyway. Or maybe he was feeling guilty at preying on a pregnant girl? Who knows. I tried to divert my thoughts back to the current issue, and I paused, biting my lip. I didn't totally trust them, but at the moment it seemed that we were all going to die anyway. My concern for my baby warred with the concern for my friends. My baby kicked me again and I made my decision.

"Fine," I said. Harkat and Vancha obstructed me simultaneously, their enormous arms blocking my way. I brushed my fingers against them gently. "I'll be alright," I told them quietly

Vancha dropped his arm first, then nodded at me encouragingly. Harkat hesitated. I patted his hand.

"Be careful," he muttered, then lowered his arm as well.

The walk to the stage was the most nerve-wracking, dizzying walk of my lifetime. All eyes were on me, watching me for any deviations, ready for any signs of a final desperate attack.

My swollen bump throbbed with a dull sort of pain. My baby pressed against me nervously, sensing my distress. Fear and doubt started to cloud my mind. What _was_ I doing?

I nearly got onto the stage when the angry sound of bullets being fired filled my ears. My vampire training kicked in and I ducked, rolling away from the stage. A familiar voice cut through the chaos, roaring out orders fiercely, her figure proud and graceful, brown hair falling down her squared shoulders.

_Debbie!_

The vampaneze recovered quickly, but the few vulnerable moments they spent re-organising themselves was enough to give the humans an advantage. Vampirites rushed into the theatre, firing their guns at the mass of vampaneze and vampets.

Vancha and Harkat went straight for the stage, but was intercepted by a few vampaneze and vampets.

I stared from where I had rolled to, crouching in a corner in a mind-numbing daze. What was happening? When did Debbie get here? _How_ did she get in? And was that Alice near her? Then I looked up to my friends. They were still blissfully unconscious - and I intended to keep it that way.

The Vampirites seemed to be struggling from the sheer numbers of the vampaneze and vampets. A human was struck down before my eyes, beheaded, then another, and another. Blood flowed endlessly, like a sick imitation of a stream. I tried to get up. I had to help them! But my limbs wouldn't move no matter how I willed them too. I tried to use the fact that Tommy and Alan's lives were at stake as a motivator - but it had no effect. My muscles wouldn't move an inch.

Then another group of people rushed in to join the fight - the vampires.

My mouth hung open in shock as I recognised Mika's raven black hair among the crowd of scarred vampires, howling excitedly as they joined the fight.

_Oh my god._

Vampaneze and Vampets clashed with Vampires and Vampirites. Blood was everywhere, pooling on the floors, sprayed across the walls. Well, the walls that hadn't been blown to pieces by the various grenades being thrown around casually. Bullets flew in every direction. Bodies had started to pile up already, making a small mountain, becoming a sort of deadly obstacle on the battlefield. Perhaps an attempt of the dead to help their still-living comrades?

It was something akin to _hell. _I always thought that an all-out war would have been better than the time-consuming small battles we'd been fighting. I was _wrong. _It was _awful. _

Around me, fellow members of the human race fought amongst each other, taking up guns and other equally lethal weapons against each other. Vampires were raising their hands against their blood cousins without blinking. Lives were taken brutally in that theater. The bit of stage before the logs fell away crumbling, to reveal wooden stakes that jutted out dangerously from the ground. It looked eerily similar to the ones in the Cave of Retribution. I stared at it dumbly, barely processing how close my baby and I had come to encountering death. Both the creatures of the undead and the living fell into the pit, screaming and howling agonizingly as they were impaled cruelly.

Among the throes, one man stood out to me all the way at the end of the theater, gently caressing his heart-shaped watch, a happy grin on his face. He was enjoying the outcome.

_Des Tiny. _A sudden, all-encompassing rage filled me. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be fighting. We wouldn't have been running all over the world carrying out self-fulfilling prophecies that _he'd_ delivered to us.

It suddenly occurred to me that all this killing, all this fighting? Totally pointless. The one single purpose of it all? To entertain Mr Tiny. To keep him from boredom. Because God forbid Desmond Tiny ever have to live without his entertainment.

I was so distracted by my outrage that I didn't notice the water trickling down between my legs, or that what had been a dull pain was increasing in intensity in my lower region. Or the concerned look on a bearded witch who stood rigidly by her father, eyeing the anarchy with hopelessness.

It was only when a shuriken had gone flying past my head, and a loud agonised howl came in reply behind me that I snapped out of my enraged reverie. I whirled around, coming face to face with R.V., a shuriken stuck painfully out of his shoulder. He snarled at me.

He ignored the sharp object embedded in his shoulder and swiped at me with his hooks. I avoided his attacks with more difficulty than I should have had. My movements seemed more sluggish, slower. That startled me. Being pregnant never really deteriorated my skills to this point. But I had no time to ponder such a thing at that moment. I reached for my sword and swung it at the vampaneze, but my attacks had also decreased in speed and strength.

Harkat seemed to have noticed my lack of abilities, if the way he rushed over with his axe was any indication.

With Harkat taking care of R.V. I looked around, scanning through the chaos for Steve.

An arrow whizzed through the air, narrowly missing my foot. I spotted Steve Leopard by the exit of the theater, and our eyes met. A million messages were conveyed in those precious few seconds, as they always did when I made eye contact with Steve. His eyes were sharp and burned intensely with a range of emotions too deep for me to comprehend. Anger, hurt, bitterness... worry?

Before I could further analyse it, he turned and walked out the exit, leaving me behind once again. Gannen followed after him quickly.

My body reacted before I could even think about what I was doing.

"Vancha!" I threw over my shoulder as I ran - waddled? - over to the exit, determined not to let Steve escape again. To not have to watch his back as he left me once again. "They're getting away!"

Vancha spotted me, cursed and pushed away a vampet, rushing over to catch up with me. As I ran towards the theater, I glanced back to where my friends were hanging and sighed with relief as I saw some vampirites lowering them and taking them out of the theater to safety through the backdoor.

As we exited the theater I glanced sideways at my fellow Prince.

"You knew they were coming," I said accusatorily, thinking of how distracted he'd seemed before we entered the theater. Was he communicating with the vampires even then? And yet he'd kept me out of it.

He glanced back at me, a halfway sheepish look on his face. He seemed guilty about it... But knew it was necessary and had accepted it.

"I did what I had to," he said finally. I said nothing in reply, feeling offended. Had my actions really indicated to my comrades that my loyalty was wavering? Because it wasn't. I definitely cared for Steve, but I still wasn't convinced that his side was the right one.

And _no way in hell_ was I going to _kill_ a human every time I feed.

"They're not going to flit, are they?" I asked Vancha, keeping my eyes glued on the two figures in the distance.

"No. They know this is the end too. This is where everything is decided," Vancha replied, seeming relieved that I'd changed the subject.

For a while we continued jogging after them in silence, both thinking deeply about what we had to do. They kept going, until we reached the rear of the stadium - the same one Steve and I had been in, watching our friend Tommy fight for his team. They were headed towards the river. Steve and Gannen jogged along the riverbank, approaching the arch of a bridge spanning the river and slowed. They seemed to be having an argument. Gannen seemed to want to take Steve on his back and flit to safety but Steve was having none of it. He slapped away Gannen's hands, gesturing furiously. Vancha and I sped up as we closed in on them.

"You should go back," he said quietly. I glared at him, turning to him furiously. He seemed to be grinning. "Is what I'd say, but I can see that there's no way I can persuade you to leave,"

"Of course not," I snorted.

"To the death, sire?" he asked me.

"To the death," I replied grimly.

"Even your child's?" Vancha said, his voice low and worried.

"I don't know," I replied, the threat of death of my beloved child finally dawning on me. When Steve left the theater, all I could think about was chasing after him. But now that Vancha had mentioned it...

"Leave all the fighting to me," Vancha said finally. "If needed, you can back me up. But otherwise... I don't want you involved,"

Normally, I would be quite offended. But all I felt was relief. Even more so due to the ache in my midriff and the wetness of my shorts. Something was wrong. But I couldn't mention it to Vancha, not now at this urgent moment. I had a role to play now - a Vampire Prince. Besides, it's not as if my baby had stopped kicking me. He or she was fine. I hoped.

Gannen seemed to have submitted to Steve, as usual, and they waited under the bridge for us, weapons at the ready. I could hear Mr Tiny and Evanna close behind us, eager to watch the future unfold. This was it. The final moment.

This was what the fate of the world rode on.

And I hoped dearly that if it was a bad destiny, I wouldn't be the one to have caused it.

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**A/N:** This was such a bad chapter. I'm really sorry. It was all fragmented in my mind, and I totally didn't know what to write. Because I had the general idea of what was supposed to happen in this chapter, but I didn't know how to connect it. I was thinking of making this awesome chapter with vampires and vampaneze fighting everywhere, like one of those 'strength in numbers' epic wars. But... It just kind of... didn't turn out that way. If you guys have any idea how I should improve this chapter, please tell me.


	14. Chapter 14 Delivery, Deliverance

**Disclaimer: **The Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak and it's plot as well as characters belong to Darren Shan. The real, male one, not my cheesy female one.

**A/N:** I think it goes without saying that I've never been pregnant, and therefore, have never delivered a baby. So I have no idea what happens. I do, however, understand that it takes some time after your water breaks to actually push out the kid. Anyway, if you see any obvious inconsistencies, don't hesitate to tell me.

Thanks to iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs, SUSHIxMONSTER, X-Jinxa-X, meselfi and S.L. Gibbs for their reviews of the last chapter. Anyone else noticed that I'm one review from getting half a hundred reviews? Whee!

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Chapter 14 Delivery, Deliverance

We came to a halt before our enemies. They had their weapons at the ready. Vancha's hand twitched at his side. Then he pushed me behind him protectively. Any other time I would have fought back, offended at the implication of his actions. But at the moment I wasn't feeling too good. I felt weary, and fatigued, and my breathing was way too quick, not to mention erratic and irregular. Nobody noticed, taking into consideration the fact that we jogged all the way here.

I placed my hand on my abdomen, trying to calm myself down. My baby was now kicking me rigorously, as if doing some soccer practice. It didn't hurt, of course, but it made me a little worried. It wasn't normal.

A movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention, snapping me out of my worry. Gannen stood before Steve protectively, his eyes boring into Vancha. Vancha stared straight back. Then he took a step forward, body tensed and muscles coiled, ready to spring at any moment.

"Greetings, brother," Gannen said warily.

"Greetings," Vancha replied.

My eyesight blurred for a second, before focusing once again. What was going on? I rubbed my eyes, trying to remove imaginary vision-hindering substances, missing the rest of the conversation going on around me. As my eyes refocused, I caught sight of Steve. He looked normal, like always - hateful, vengeful, bitter. He glared straight at me, but for a second I could have sworn I saw confusion and worry cross his features, just like I did before. He was watching the position of my hand placed on my abdomen, and his frown deepened each time I drew in a shaky breath.

That made me think back on all the conflicting messages Steve had sent my way. He said he hated me, but what the hell was that after the football match? And before it, for that matter? Why save me after getting all angry about some human impregnating me? Why the spontaneous gentle acts between all the rage and hatred? I started to analyse each of them carefully, right there on this pivotal moment, on the battlefield.

And came to one single conclusion:

Steve's bipolar.

Not that it was something I had yet to realise. I've always known he was, even as a kid. But now, I _really_ know. And that would explain why he could rape me, then let me go, then shoot me and let me fall down a garbage chute. Then get me pregnant and claim he's not the dad.

Wait. Does it?

My mind was going off in all directions now. I could hardly concentrate on one single matter. My stomach started to feel heavier and heavier. Was I dying?

Shaking my head, I managed to pull myself together long enough to focus on my difficult situation, and the battle heating up around me. I realised Vancha and Gannen were just staring at each other, both hesitant to make the first move.

Steve glared at me, waiting. Then, without warning, he dashed forward, swinging his sword at me. He made the first strike of the battle that will decide the outcome of our future, or so we thought anyway. Vancha slapped it away with the palm of his hand, then moved to block his brother's blow, a follow-up of his Lord's. It had started. Vancha, during the interim of their many attacks, reached out a hand and shoved me away, then blocked Steve and Gannen from getting to me.

The battle proceeded at superhuman speed. I could only catch quick flashes of it - Steve nicking Vancha's arm, and Vancha continuously pushing back Gannen's blade. I bit my lip to stop myself from rushing forward to assist my fellow Prince who I'd come to think of as a brother.

Then I heard someone whisper behind me and I whirled around. Mr Tiny waved at me gleefully, then proceeded to continue whispering to Evanna. She looked weary. At first, I was mesmerised by his happy expression. He was truly enjoying this. The fight between long-lost brothers, the impending doom of our whole universe. Something started to build inside me. I turned away, disgusted.

Watching the scene before me unfold, I felt so utterly stupid. So dumb. What were we doing? Fighting. Fighting without a cause. It all just got to me. The uselessness of what we were doing. The utter lack of meaning of our being here. My already shaken conviction disappeared entirely. I took up my sword and threw it to the floor, the noise of it making contact with the ground was minimal, but it succeeded in attracting the attention of the brothers who had been fighting. Steve, who had stepped back and been staring at me, watched me carefully, surprised and wary of what I was doing. He suspected a trick. I didn't turn around, but I suspected that I had Mr Tiny and Evanna's eyes were on me as well.

"I've had enough," I told them. "I quit," I said, and turned my back on my fellow team-mate and mortal enemies. I put one foot before the other, pain and discomfort racking my body. All I wanted to do was lie down. At the corner of my eye, I could see Mr Tiny and Evanna looking at me in surprise, or in Mr Tiny's case, outraged shock.

I felt a fingers wrap around my arm and spin me around to face an angry Steve. Vancha just stared dumbfounded at the two of us, too numb to acknowledge his usual protectiveness of the vulnerable pregnant girl.

"What the hell do you mean you quit?" he growled quietly, menacingly. "You can't just quit!"

"Well, I just did, alright!" I shrieked back at him. I winced inwardly at the shrill sound of my voice. Obviously, I had descended into hysterics without noticing it. He took a step back, surprised at my responding outlash. He recovered quickly, pulling me closer.

"No, you can't. I won't let you," He said, and drew his knife. Peculiar maternal instincts shot through my body, and I lurched forward, surprising Steve. He stepped away from me. I let out an animalistic growl, glaring at him. He approached me slowly, gripping his knife tightly. Then he charged. My vision went blank. Then all of a sudden, my knees gave way completely beneath me and I fell, reaching out blindly and dragging the Lord of the Vampaneze down with me.

I heard metal clatter to the ground and concerned shouts. I heard someone gasping for air and wondered in a daze if Vancha was okay. Then I realised it was me. Charna's guts, why did I feel so dizzy? Someone held up my head.

"Darren," A female voice said to me gently. "Darren, it's time," The ugly face of Evanna swam into view. Behind her was a beautiful black velvet of darkness, dotted with bright twinkly lights. I admired them in my dazed condition.

"What?" was Vancha's shocked exclaim. "_Now?_"

"Yes. Her water broke a while ago, but she felt it unnecessary to warn you. Foolish girl," Her words were harsh, but I could hear concern in her voice. "Vancha, go back to the theatre and warn them of what is happening. And while you're there, tell them to halt this foolishness,"

He frowned, eyeing his brother and Steve who was sitting up beside me, having fallen with me when I collapsed. "But..."

"Go!" Evanna roared. Vancha stared at her fearfully before leaving hastily. The witch removed my clothes. I protested weakly. "Gannen. Go fetch some hot water."

The vampaneze didn't move. He was intent on protecting his Lord. Evanna's motions on me stopped. She had looked up to glare at the vampaneze.

"Gannen," she said, her voice soft yet deadly. "This is the child of your lord we're talking about. You wish to sacrifice his unborn progeny?"

Gannen hesitated, then I heard his footsteps moving away. That made me wonder. Gannen seemed convinced that this was Steve's child. So why was Steve so indignant about this child having been the product of me and some human?

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and I moaned, feeling my lower region do things I didn't really want it to. Then Evanna spoke up again.

"Lower that knife, child," she said. I turned to my side to see Steve brandishing his knife. "This is your child being born here."

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "And how do you know that? What proof do you have that it's mine?"

"For the love of-" I groaned, cutting my own frustrated cry off. "You think I'd be stupid enough to let any other guy violate me after what you did to me? Son of a-" I cut myself off once more, wondering just how much my unborn child could hear and not wanting him to pick up my crude language.

"What are you waiting for, boy?" Mr Tiny said, a low growl emerging from a distance away. "She's completely open! Kill her! Kill her and the world is yours!"

I saw Steve glare in my direction, his mind wrapping tightly around Mr Tiny's words, holding onto it desperately. He was beginning to question his role in this conflict, just as I had. I stared back, and our eyes met. I tried to plead with my eyes. Evanna shifted behind me into a defensive position.

"Steve," I mumbled, praying that I was coherent. "Let's make a deal."

He regarded me cautiously, suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"

"Let me have my kid. Let me have my kid and I'll let you do whatever you want with me after this. You can torture me. Kill me. Throw me in a boiling pot and eat me. Whatever. Please... Please just let our child be born," I pleaded. I saw him twitch at the mention of 'our child', as well as the hesitation in his eyes. I knew that saying this would probably mean the doom of our clan, but the love for my unborn kid far outweighed my loyalty for the clan. Now I knew what they mean when they said motherly love has no bounds. This life that had been growing in me for nine months? Yeah, I was willing to give up my precious clan for it. I was willing to be the cause of an apocalypse. As long as my little one was born.

"Don't do it," Mr Tiny warned. "She's lying to you. Again. She's just going to betray you." Steve looked to the little man in wellies, his expression confused and lost, like a child left behind in a crowded supermarket.

"Please, Steve?" I asked, softly this time. He looked back at me, and I stared into his eyes.

He lifted the knife and advanced on me. Mr Tiny cackled. Evanna growled and hissed like an livid cat. Then Steve did the unthinkable. He threw the knife into the lake. Mr Tiny stopped laughing. I gaped at the Lord of the Vampaneze.

Then he came closer to me, lifted my head, sat down, positioned himself appropriately and placed my head in his lap, propping it up. I stared up at him in surprise. He grinned back down at me, full of confidence again, though I could feel a dark sorrow behind it. He was putting aside his whole reason for living, his oath to kill me, his revenge, just to do this.

"Anything I want?" He grinned wickedly.

I smiled back weakly. "Anything you want."

"Then deal. I always wanted to know what it was like to be a father anyway. Then maybe I'll get why mine left," he shrugged. I regarded him in further surprise. He'd finally accepted it? That this was his child? The hesitant grin on his face told me he didn't. Not completely. But he was starting to.

"He didn't leave," Mr Tiny said quietly. Steve turned away from me to look at the meddler quizzically. "He's always been here, watching over you, guiding you."

"What are you..." Steve trailed off in sudden realisation.

"Yes," Mr Tiny said. "It's me. I'm your father. In fact, all three of you are my children." He said gleefully his gaze shifting from Steve to me, then to Evanna.

I started hyperventilating. Oh God. I was having my brother's baby! Okay, we didn't really know it, but still! My fingers clawed at the ground as I started to fight off a panic attack.

"You're not my father. I had a father!" I shouted in his direction.

"Dermot Shan is not your father. You were a cuckoo's child - both of you. I did my work unknown to your mothers. But rest assured, you're both mine."

"No," Evanna said. "No, you didn't." I looked to my side. The ugly sorceress was pale with rage. "How dare you!" she screamed. I could see her become more wolf than human.

"I didn't break any rules, merely stretched them a little," Mr Tiny responded.

"You created the future with the Lord of the Shadows! You have cast mankind aside for your own foul needs!" Evanna shouted. I rolled further to my side, fearing for my baby's life. Regardless of who the father was, it was still my baby and I loved it beyond anything in the world. Steve's hand tightened around me protectively, but I could see that his action had no thought behind it. His face was blank with shock, his eyes empty.

"Do not cross me on this, daughter," Mr Tiny warned. He turned to Steve, ignoring his wrathful daughter. "So you know the truth, Steve. Join me, son. Together we will rule this world. We will change it as we like. Rid things that oppose us. Starting with..." Mr Tiny's eyes flickered to me. "...that." he finished.

Steve followed Mr Tiny's gaze and looked down at me. The lost, hesitant look was back. Once again I found myself pleading with him silently, staring into his eyes. This wouldn't be an easy choice for him, I knew that. For years he'd wanted a father. When we were younger, he would find substitutes for a father figure. Like Mr Dalton, our English teacher.

"I've always wanted a dad," he said softly, still looking straight at me. I stared back at him worriedly. "That's why I can understand exactly how this kid would feel if I become like you," His lifted his head to stare at Mr Tiny. "So my answer is no. Find some other person to rule the world with you. Darren and I are kind of busy right now." He waved his hand dismissively, mocking Mr Tiny.

I grinned at my ex-best friend, he grinned back at me sort of weakly and took my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine supportively. Our troubles were far from over - There were still too many things unsaid - but it felt like we were one step closer to resolving things.

After a long moment, I looked up to see Evanna and Mr Tiny engaged in a heated staring battle. I looked back and forth between them, worried. Then I heard the yellow wellies stomp away. Evanna sighed a sigh of relief. I felt like giving out a victorious cheer. Unfortunately, the baby chose this moment to make it's appearance remembered. I screamed in pain, shocking both Evanna and Steve.

Then Gannen returned with the water, his footsteps thudding and pounding in my head. I groaned. My senses had gone all haywire. It didn't help that Vancha came back with another flurry of footsteps - Harkat and Debbie. A confused yet worried Andy followed behind them - and protested quite loudly about where exactly - or on what exactly, really - my head rested.

That was all I really remember. For a long time, all I knew was pain. I never knew labour could be so painful. The only thing stopping me from telling them to just kill me right then was that my baby would die too if I did something as stupid as that. I faintly remembered my friends encouraging me in the background, but there wasn't enough space in my mine to register that. All I could think about was the excruciating agony.

I recall that at one point I might have cursed Steve and told him that I hated him. "Why did you do this to me?" I remember a hoarse voice crying out, only to realise it was mine.

I fully expected Steve to remove himself from the scene and stomp off sulking but instead he kissed my forehead, told me he hated me too and said "Keep pushing, honey."

I wanted to hit him.

But I also felt admiration for this unusual display of maturity.

So I just kept pushing, trying to churn my rage and admiration into determination.

It ended about half an hour later.

_Thank God._

The first indication I got that it was over was the sudden ebbing of pain. It was still very uncomfortable, but I could feel my pain wearing away, being replaced by fatigue.

The other indication? It was the cry. The cry that wailed and permeated the strangely still air as my child took in his first few breaths, and a snip as something was cut.

"It's a boy," Evanna told me, smiling. I smiled back triumphantly. I'd always known he'd be a boy.

"Good job," Steve whispered into my ear, sounding as tired as I felt. That was when I realised that I was still grasping his hand, a trail of blood leaking out from the various scratches I'd made with my fingernails. Though there was less blood than normal, since I'd also cut off the circulation. I released his hand slightly, but he gripped me back harder instead. I squeezed his hand back lightly, my hands were shaky from the whole ordeal.

"Can I see him?" I croaked weakly. Someone bent down beside me and handed me a hastily wrapped, warm, cylindrical thing. As I held the little being who'd lived in me for nine months in my arms, my pain completely faded away. Warmth spread through my body, starting from my arms and reaching all the way down to my toes. "Oh..." I gasped, fresh tears appearing in my eyes at the sight of my tiny miracle.

"He's got my hair," Steve commented lightly, fingering a thin, bloody strand of grey hair on his head.

"Yes, he does," I laughed, a hysterical-sounding sob. I could see my friends and enemies smiling at us, united by the happiness of the moment. It was one of those cheesy, drama-worthy, happy, touching scenes. It wouldn't last of course. "Steve?" I mumbled.

"Yes?" he replied, stroking our little boy's face with his index finger.

"Could you hold him for me?"

"Uh... Sure?" he said hesitantly, probably afraid that he was going to accidentally drop and break the fragile bundle. "Why?" he asked as I passed the baby to him. He cradled it securely with one arm, the other was wrapped around me.

"Because I'm going to pass out soon," I told him.

"Seriously?" he asked me, an amused look on his face.

"Mm-hmm. Pick a good name, 'kay?" I said as the world faded into blackness.

* * *

**A/N: **I so can't write battle scenes. But anyway. I hoped you like how this turned out. It was a little anti-climatic, and so very predictable.

I wish I could have written Steve's POV for the scene where he throws the knife in the lake, and denies Mr Tiny's offer. Then maybe it wouldn't have seemed so random. Oh well.

We're so close to the end now. Well, we should be anyway. If the plot bunnies would just leave me alone.


	15. Chapter 15 A Happy Ending

**Disclaimer: **How would a person get to own a series written by someone else? Would you buy it or something? ...I don't even have enough money to buy the Darren Shan Saga/Crique Du Freak volumes so I guess I shouldn't talk. No, I don't own the characters or plot of Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak. As much as I would love to.

**A/N: **I think this is the last chapter. What's after this is the epilogue, then the end. Thanks for sticking with me and my demented self till the end.

Okay, if you ticked the 'notify me when this fic is updated' thingy, you'll notice you got two e-mails saying that this fic is updated. The thing is - whoops. I forgot to write my thanking shout-outs to people who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry!

Thanks to SUSHIxMONSTER, X-Jinxa-X, LartenCrepsleyForeva123, iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs and meselfi for their reviews of the last chapter. And thanks to LartenCrepsleyForeva123 for reviewing every chapter!

Okay, I'll shut up now.

* * *

Chapter 15 A Happy Ending

I was in pain. So much pain. I groaned. What was with this? Everywhere hurt. Why was I in pain so often anyway?

I moaned as the mere act of rolling over onto my side caused a horrible mixture of pain, exhaustion and stiffness to spread through my body.

"You're exaggerating," said a familiar, annoying voice. I groaned in frustration.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you deliver a kid. It's like squeezing a tennis ball out of your penis," I snapped. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw him wince, then start to laugh. Seeing him laugh made me smile and I lifted my head to get a better view of him. He was sitting in an armchair, holding our beautiful baby boy in his arms. It just looked so right, so natural, even on Steve who I'd never expected to be parent material. I felt a little envious. Had Steve and our son formed some kind of deep bond while I was out? Would our little boy even still remember me?

Steve seemed to sense my ugly jealousy, and held out our creation for me to hold. I took him and cradled the little bundle to my chest.

"Hi, honey," I crooned, rocking him back and forth. He gurgled happily. I sucked in a surprised breath as he chuckled babyishly, his blue eyes shining brightly and hands flailing in the air as he tried to touch me. I kissed his forehead, and he grabbed onto my hair and tugged it gently.

Steve watched me silently, a content smile on his face. He seemed so at ease, so happy. For some reason, it filled me with joy. Was all the hatred really gone?

"I picked a name," He informed me with a cheeky grin. I lifted an eyebrow, wondering why that would be accompanied with cheekiness.

"What'd you do?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," he waved the air dismissively. "Just named him after a special someone."

Both my eyebrows shot all the way up. "A... _special_ someone?"

"Mm-hmm," Steve hummed happily. He was enjoying my reaction.

"And who exactly could that be?" My voice seemed to have gone dangerously low.

"Drink some water so you can spit it all out in surprise when I tell you, like in those shows we used to watch," he joked, pointing to a glass of water on a table nearby.

"Steve..." I growled, glaring at him. Our baby seemed to have noticed my change in mood, tugging at my hair more frantically. I stroked his cheek soothingly.

"Guess," His eyes were practically sparkling with humour.

I pursed up my lips as I thought. Then gasped. "No. _No_,"

"Yes," he grinned.

"_No_!"

"Yes."

"Argh, no! No! Why!"

"Yes, yes, and who knows?"

I groaned. "You did _not_ name him _Larten_!"

"And what if I said I did?" his grin was so wide, it resembled that of the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.

"_Nooooooooooo_," I moaned. My son started to laugh at my reaction, his giggles so adorable that I couldn't resist smiling at him.

"I'm just kidding," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "Seriously. You're such a drama queen,"

I glared at him. "Then? What's his name?"

"It's Laris," he said finally. I blinked in surprise. He watched my expression carefully. "What do you think?"

"It sounds... surprisingly good," I said truthfully. He grinned.

"It was Gannen's idea," he shrugged. My eyebrow shot up at that. "Apparently it means 'cheerful' in Latin."

"Huh," I said in reply. "Are you okay with it?"

He looked at me quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you hated Mr Crepsley, didn't you? Are you okay with naming him after someone you hated so much?"

"Hmm..." He hummed thoughtfully. "You're right. I did hate him very, very much. But when I really think about it, it's cause of him that we're here like this right now." He placed a finger in Laris's grasp, Laris's tiny hands gripped onto it, fisting it tightly. "So I guess I don't mind so much. Besides, you loved him a lot, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I answered, a mental picture of my old mentor appearing in my head. "Yeah, I did,"

Silence fell as we both contemplated the past, the present and most importantly - the future. The only deviations from the silence was the occasional gurgle from Laris.

Then Steve got up from the chair he was in abruptly, removed Laris from my arms and placed him in a cot next to me. I hadn't even noticed the miniature bed, it's bars closing in on the sides like a mini prison. Both Laris and I protested the separation, Laris making low noises of protests and flailing his arms again.

"Aw, Steve..." I pouted, my arms reaching out for my baby.

"Shhh," he said, placing a finger to my lip. His eyes bore into mine, then, with a smile, he removed his finger and moved to kiss me. It started out chaste and innocent, and escalated from there. I jolted suddenly, realising something, and pushed him away as gently as I could.

"Steve. We can't," I said, my breathing heavy from the air-deprivation.

"Why not?" he whispered, running a finger down my cheek. I shuddered involuntarily.

"Because," I said, taking hold of his finger and removing it from my face. "We're siblings. It's wrong."

"What makes you think we're siblings?" He grasped my fingers instead, bringing it to his mouth to kiss it.

"Um, Mr Tiny's our father?" I said in a flat voice, snatching my fingers away. His eyes narrowed at the mention of that name.

"You really think Des Tiny slept with our mothers? Because really, that's the only thought that really disgusts me," he replied.

"Well... Probably not, cause if he did, he'd probably be found out by our mothers. He probably found some other way to inseminate them-"

"Exactly. That means Des Tiny created us. He's not our father," He replied. I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued. "God created the world. He is our 'father in heaven'. That doesn't stop us 'children' to continue breeding like rabbits, does it?" I frowned, seeing unexpected sense in his words. Probably due to how much I wanted him to be right.

"But-" I muttered.

"Plus, the only reason incest is wrong is because it causes the children to have diseases and genetic problems, right?" he replied. Hesitantly, I nodded. "Laris seems to be fine."

"Yes, but-"

"Darren Shan, I love you," he told me, placing both palms on either side of my face and pulling me closer so that his forehead was resting on mine. "I love you, and nothing is going to change that. Not the fact that you're physically younger than me, nor the fact that we share some similar genes,"

"A lot of similar genes," I corrected him. He rolled his eyes. I grinned and pecked him lightly on the lips, unable to control myself any longer. I loved this man so much. He moved his right hand to my neck and pulled me closer.

I moaned into his mouth as he reached his tongue into my mouth, tasting me. I wished I had the sense to brush my teeth when I woke up, but Steve didn't seem to mind, as could be seen by the way he eagerly ran his tongue over every corner of my mouth.

Suffice to say, we had a long make out session. We didn't go any further with Laris in the room - though Steve obviously wanted to - and it wasn't until much later that we stopped to watch Laris snoring lightly. Steve sat behind me, with me settled comfortably in between his thighs and against his back.

"Steve?" I asked in a low voice.

"Yes?" he replied.

"What now?" I turned to look at him.

He was watching Laris intently, with that fatherly love that seemed to take my breath away.

"I'm not so sure," he answered cautiously. I had the distinct feeling that he was hiding something.

"How's the whole situation with the warring clans?" I asked cautiously, wondering what exactly he was hiding and how I could draw it out. "And the vampets and vampirites?"

"Tense," he answered. "They're maintaining a temporary truce, and tolerating each other because of what happened between us. Still, I have no idea how long it'll last. There's been too much bad blood for too long,"

"Yeah..." I agreed. I guess with every silver lining came a dark cloud. I thought that with Steve no longer hating me like this things would've been solved, but it was too late. Too much had happened. "Is it possible for us to have peace?" I sighed under my breath.

"Probably. Eventually," Steve shrugged. I glared at him, irritated by his nonchalance. He just shrugged again.

"Are Alan and Tommy okay?" I asked, realising that I had done very little to save my friends, and feeling extremely guilty about it.

"They're fine. I drugged them well. We placed them somewhere public so that they could be found. They remember being drugged but not the whole... _mess_ in the theatre," I lifted an eyebrow at that oversimplification, but said nothing. "I wasn't going to hurt them, you know,"

"I know," I told him with a smile.

Once again, we were deathly silent, with nothing more to say for now.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, then asked a question I'd wanted to ask for a while now. "Um.. Has Laris shown any signs of inheriting any of our... _special traits_?"

"If you mean vampiric or vampanezic traits, no. Wait. Well... Not really, at least."

"Not... _really_?" I repeated.

"Yeah. I mean, he does have a penchant for blood, but I'm half-sure he doesn't actually need it to survive," Steve shrugged. I was starting to get really irritated with all his shrugging.

"You fed him _blood_?" I spat out, my temper flaring.

"He wasn't drinking the milk! And you've been out for a while. In case you haven't noticed, there's not really anyone else around here who could breastfeed him. And plus, it was Evanna's idea." Steve protested quickly, shifting the blame conveniently. My temper died down as rapidly as it had risen.

"How's Evanna?" I asked.

"Not happy. She thinks Tiny's up to something,"

"Yeah, I do too..." Des Tiny. He was never going to quit, was he? Well, I suppose where there was peace, there was chaos. They go hand in hand. I wish they didn't.

"She told me about the Lord of the Shadows. She fears that Tiny might arrange for someone else to take that place." His eyes flickered to Laris. I couldn't help it. I sucked in a surprised breath, making a gasping sort of sound. Laris stirred.

"No. No." I felt panic begin to rise up, clawing up my throat, starting to take the form of a scream.

"Shhhh," Steve said soothingly, stroking my hair. "Evanna's doing everything she can. She swore to me that she'd do what she can to prevent it. Don't worry,"

I nodded, but couldn't help the panic that seemed to be festering within me. I continued staring at Laris, swearing to myself that I won't let it happen. Never. No way in hell. I'll do whatever it takes to prevent something like that from happening.

_I swear it._

Steve cleared his throat, interrupting my thoughts. "By the way..." he started, then paused.

"Hmm?" I prompted, the sides of my mouth curling up and my worry fading slightly at the sight of Laris's face being screwed up as he slept. He was just so... so... _cute_.

"You do remember that you made me a promise, right?" I froze up. All my doubts and fears returned. I had just assumed that Steve had forgotten all his bitterness and hatred, and had repented. I forgot all about the fact that I'd actually practically sold my soul to him.

"Uh... Yeah," I said, biting my lip nervously. I made my grave. Now I had to lie in it. "I know. But just promise me one thing, Steve." I looked up into his eyes, lost in the sea of blue. "Take care of Laris. Don't... don't just abandon him, alright?"

Steve just stared at me for a while. Then he rolled his eyes. "You really are such a drama queen. Stop overthinking things,"

I frowned, feeling the skin between my eyebrows crease in confusion. "Wait. Then... What exactly do you want?"

Then he reached over, grinned, and whispered something into my ear, not unlike the way he'd informed me of his last great secret.

It was nonsensical. Nonsensical, amazing, wonderful, glorious. He watched my reaction with an expectant grin. I swivelled my head around to stare at him, ignoring the painful crick in my neck as I did so.

My mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened. Then a a strange incoherent sound escaped my mouth.

"Why?" I finally rasped, marveling at how dry and low my voice seemed.

"I'm not so sure. I've always been more of a last minute decision guy."

"B-B-But... Wha-?" I stammered incomprehensibly. "Is... Is it even... possible?"

"That remains to be seen," he shrugged. "But I guess I'll need your help."

I licked my lips and nodded. My heart had swelled up in joy, and all these weird choir choruses had flared up in my head. Unable to hold back my happiness, I threw my arms around the man I loved.

"Thank you, Steve. Thank you so much," I said. He tightened his arms around me possessively.

"You're welcome," he replied, his voice faking nonchalance, but his grip revealing just what he was feeling.

* * *

_Little more than six months later._

"That is definitely _not_ a house," I told Steve.

"Of course it is. A little... _rough_ around the edges maybe. But a house nonetheless,"

"Nuh-uh. That," I pointed to the rundown building with the free arm that wasn't holding Laris. "is a shack. One that's about to fall apart,"

"It's perfectly fine! It was one of my hideouts before joining the vampaneze. And I can assure you, the beam that fell was a faulty one. The rest are fine. And I'm sure it'll look better after some tidying up,"

"The_ what_ fell?" I exclaimed. He grinned and grabbed hold of my arm above my elbow, pulling me towards the haunted house. I struggled with him for a while before giving up completely and allowing him to just pull me away.

I was exhausted by the time we were done cleaning up. You may wonder how it's possible for a half-vampire to be tired just cleaning up a house? Well, that just speaks to how crappy the house was when we got it. Steve took on the carpentering role, doing his best to fix it up and ensure that nothing would fall on us as we were living in it. He may make jokes about loose beams and splattered brains, but he was unusually serious when it came to Laris and I being in danger. I have to say it's a nice change from the "I'll kill you!" attitude he's had in the previous years.

Life was nice. Life was good. Finally, after all those years of pain and suffering.

"Hey, you done?" Steve asked, peeking in from the doorway of the room I stood in, staring out the window as I contemplated how we'd gotten here.

"Yeah," I smiled at him. "Yes, I am," He held out a hand and I took it happily, enjoying the heartwarming heat of his hands.

* * *

**A/N: **The end! ...Not.

Haha. Don't worry peoples, it's not the end. Not yet. I still have a chapter or two to go, and then an epilogue. It just doesn't feel like a complete ending yet. I still have a fluffy scene I wrote before even writing this story that I want to put in. I can assure you, it's very cute.

Plus, you guys don't even know what Steve whispered into Darren's ear yet. No, it's not, 'Let's run away and live in a crappy house with falling beams!' That's part of it, but that's not it.

I know, I know, I was practically grasping at straws when I wrote the excuses Steve was giving to Darren. I forgot that they were siblings, okay? I was writing them mainly to comfort myself... not that I disapprove about incest. I don't really care either way, actually. Anyway! Enough about that!

R&R?


	16. Chapter 16 A Semblance of Normality

**Disclaimer:** ...I've run out of ways to write the disclaimer in an anti-repetitive way, so I'll just say it - type it? - I don't own the characters or plot of the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak.

**A/N: ** Steve is, suffice to say, really lame in this chapter. I'm sorry. It was late at night and I'd just watched Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. It had turned my brain to mush with its crappiness and cheesiness.

This was actually a super long chapter (8168 words) because I had nothing better to do than write mushy things, but I decided to split it into two chapters instead. It's surprising how long I'm able to stretch this story out. I was going to stop at Laris's birth, but I keep finding holes I'd like to fill in before concluding this story (No sexual innuendo intended)

I know, I put in a weird format this time, starting with no POV, and then going back to Darren narrating the story. I didn't even notice it when I was writing the story. I only realised when proofreading. Sorry if it bothers anyone. I'll make sure to write in third person in my next fic (If I ever write one)

As usual, special thanks to X-Jinxa-X, SUSHIxMONSTER, iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs, meselfi, LartenCrepsleyForeva123 and Queen NekoChan for reviewing the last chapter! Wow, we got to 75. I never thought it'd get that far, actually. In other words: Yay!

* * *

Chapter 16 A Semblance of Normality

_No POV_

A short, plump-ish figure eyed a rundown house quietly. It kept to the shadows, silent, watching.

The house was indeed a shack. The roof was hideously covered in patches of wood, the wall had fragile-looking cracks running down its walls, the lawn was covered in various, overgrown vegetation and the fences had planks missing in places, or bits of them falling off.

However, it was evident that though the house was old, it was very clean. The window panes were clean and shiny, the doorknob polished and gleamed even in the moonlight, and the footpath leading up to the front door was neat, lacking the overgrown vegetation that encompassed the rest of the yard.

The figure regarded the house contemplatively, then turned away and rejoined the shadows.

_Not yet. It's not time yet. Soon, my dearest friends, soon._

* * *

_Back in the house, Darren's POV:_

"Say 'ahhh'!" I smiled, holding out the food on a spoon to him lovingly. "Come on! Just a little bit, honey! You need the sustenance," I nudged the spoon at him.

He remained stubbornly unmoving, pursing up his lips distastefully at the substance on the spoon. He was such a picky child.

I tried to smile encouragingly. He made no move to consume the food. I continued to smile, though inwardly I was wondering if I would be charged for domestic abuse if I smacked him.

I put it out of my mind, sighing. I was tempted to, but knew from experience that force wouldn't work. "Come on, Steve! Laris ate_ his_ food obediently," I looked to the side at my darling infant. He gurgled at me happily, a small droplet of liquid-ish food trailing out the side of his mouth. I wiped it away with a handkerchief I kept nearby for this particular reason, doing my best to keep the hand holding the spoon steady.

Steve sighed dramatically. "Oh, all right," he curled his fingers around my wrist with one hand, keeping my hand - and the spoon - steadily in place as his lips closed around the metal cutlery. As his taste buds registered the various flavours, his face went from mildly disgusted to utterly screwed up.

He turned to Laris slowly, the horrified look still on his face. "You can actually eat this stuff?" Laris giggled and reached out for Steve. The ex-Lord of the Vampaneze grinned, forgetting the recent trauma of consuming baby food to grasp Laris's flailing fingers.

"Oh, stop exaggerating," I rolled my eyes at my ex-best friend. He grinned back at me, enjoying my recent exuberance in acting out my role as 'mother' and 'wife'.

I paused. Okay, well, maybe not so much 'wife'. I mean, it's not like we were married. We couldn't actually get married anyhow. Not legally anyway. Actually, what were we then? We were no longer best friends. We weren't even rivals anymore. Were we lovers? Not quite - we hadn't slept together since when he'd forced himself on me _months_ ago. We do sleep in the same bed, and we do make out - sometimes. When we weren't busy taking care of Laris.

A hand waved in front of my face and I looked up, noticing the raised eyebrow on Steve's face. "You alright?" he asked me.

"Eh..." I said, dazed. "Oh! No, I'm fine! Really," I said, brushing away a stray lock in my face, trying to re- orient myself. The lock slid out of where it was tucked behind my ear.

"Are you sure?" he asked, helping me tuck the rebellious hair strands back behind my ear. His fingers brushed against the shell of my ear and I shivered at the contact. He grinned at me, noticing my pretty pathetic reaction to his sheer touch. I blushed and looked away from him. He placed a hand on my left cheek, tilting my head up and towards his mouth. Just before our lips made contact, Laris let out a loud, piercing wail. Both of us jumped as Laris pouted at us.

"Oh... Bedtime," I gave Steve a weak smile, chagrined at our recent behaviour._ Right in front of our kid too._ I chastised myself silently.

"Right. I'll go prepare the night formulas," Steve said, standing up from his chair as I lifted Laris out of the elevated kiddy chair he was in.

"Sorry, honey," I apologised to Laris as he huffed at me. I swear, sometimes it was like he knew exactly what was going on. Holding my infant in my arms, I left the dining room and gently eased my son into the baby cot, drawing the blanket around him simultaneously. I hummed in what I hoped was a soothing manner as I did so, trying to ease his journey into a restful slumber. Unfortunately, I lacked the beautiful siren-like harmonies that charmed sailors and my voice broke on a high note. While humming. I heard a bark of laughter from the other room and cursed the vampanezes' amazing hearing. My cheeks burned in humiliation. I cleared my throat. "Good night, kid," I kissed Laris's forehead, and he giggled, his tiny arms flailing. I smiled and grasped on of those tiny arms, stroking it with my thumb. His flailing movements ceased and he relaxed, slowly descending into Dreamland. I don't know how long I just stood there, stroking his smooth baby skin with my thumb as I held onto it, but it wasn't until much later that I heard Steve clear his throat from the doorway.

"You coming to bed?" he asked quietly. I nodded and eased my fingers gently from my child's. Laris immediately reached out, and finding nothing but empty air, let out a slight whimper. My heart dropped to my stomach at his whimper, but before I could turn around and comfort him, he clutched the blanket and rolled over. Then there was nothing but silence.

I watched him, my hand resting on the bars of the cot, clenched and tense with worry. Steve stood next to me, and we watched our child silently, our ears perked up for any other signs of distress. After a few seconds, Laris let out a little snore. Steve and I breathed out a sigh of relief. I looked at him and he looked back at me, and we didn't need any words to convey how we felt at that moment. We knew exactly what the other was thinking. It felt like one of those cheesy, golden parent moments, you know? The type of moments you remember forever and thank God that there's such a thing as family.

Steve grinned at me, then held out his hand for me to take. I raised my eyebrows at the chivalrous gesture, then shrugged and decided to play along. I lightly placed my hand in his. He gripped it and raised it to his lips briefly before leading me to our bedroom.

"I'm not a princess," I muttered under my breath out of habit.

"You keep saying that, but everyone obviously thinks otherwise," Steve laughed. I felt my bottom lip jut out slightly and the angle of my eyebrows slant into a frown. His laugh just grew louder. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open. "Ladies first," he said, holding out his hand, a gesture for me enter before him.

"Ladies first," I echoed, mirroring his gesture mockingly and nodding my head towards the room. I was feeling offended at his comment, and the laugh from before and was in the mood to be petty. He lifted an eyebrow, surprisingly nonchalant at my effort to offend him. I kept my pose, too stubborn to admit defeat. For several long moments, we remained like that, waiting for the other to break. After those long moments, however, Steve the Ever-Patient One rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"This is ridiculous," he said, then placed an arm under my butt as well as behind my back, and lifted me up bridal-style. A loud, high-pitched squeal built in my throat. "Shh! Laris is sleeping!" Steve whispered to me dramatically. Despite the silly way it was delivered, I heeded his warning, as he predicted I would. Pressing my palms against his chest, I struggled against him. He hissed out a curse and ordered me - quietly - to stay still. Suffice to say, I didn't listen and we, with much difficulty, somehow managed to make our way to the bed. He threw me onto the bed and crawled over me, blocking off any chances of escape. I clamped my hand over my mouth, overwhelmed with a sudden, random urge to giggle. He watched me, amused. "You done yet?" he asked as I continued to giggle hysterically.

"Yes," I said, managing to temporarily stifle my giggles, then immediately broke into further peals of laughter. He rolled his eyes, then bent down and caught my lips with his. I instantly stopped laughing, all traces of humour vanishing as hormones took over our bodies. Steve's hand slipped underneath my shirt to fondle my right breast. I moaned at the sensation, my lips opening up slightly. Steve took advantage of that, slipping his tongue in and sliding it over the roof of my mouth, my teeth, the sides of my mouth. All the while massaging my chest. My hands found their way around his neck and winding into his hair causing him to press his body harder into mine.

You'd think that through all of that there's no way I would be able to have any coherent thoughts. But the thing is - I did. I was wondering what Steve thought of me. I mean, come on. Would he kiss me and fondle me like that if he thought of me as his ex-enemy who he was still getting over? Probably not, right? Then _what _did he think of me? A lover? His best friend? A really, really dumb doormat who he could walk over? What? _What? _What was I to him?

As difficult as it was, I broke our heated kiss and gripped the hand fondling me, stilling his sinfully pleasant movements.

He frowned down at me. "What?"

"I- um. That is. I just..." I trailed off, biting my lip. What was I going to ask? What exactly could I ask without seeming ungrateful or paranoid? Before I could explain myself, Steve's confused expression cleared and his features hardened.

"Oh. I get it," he said, and rolled off me to his side. It was my turn to have confusion plastered all over my face.

"What? No, Steve, you don't get it!" I said quickly, mortified at having him misunderstand me once again. I placed a hand on his arm, trying to catch his attention and get him to listen to me. He turned around quickly, forcing me to withdraw my hand. He caught hold of my wrists and pinned me to my bed. For a moment my mind flashed back to those days in the hotel, where he had violated me repeatedly. I flinched and turned my head to the side, averting my eyes from his burning gaze.

"What do I not get? I mean, come on, I know that women need time after pregnancy to recover before being able to have sex again, but it sure as hell doesn't take eight months for you to recover." He paused, daring me to look at him. "It's because of what I did, isn't it? Is that why you keep rejecting me?" he asked in a small voice. The sudden meekness in his tone made me curious, and I turned my head to peek at the expression that went with the suddenly depressed voice. Okay, I have to admit, for the second time that night, my heart dropped. All the way to my feet. Which was quite a feat, considering that I was in a reclining position.

His heartbreaking expression just reeked of guilt and remorse. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for violating you like that. I'm sorry for denying Laris as my son, and accusing you of sleeping with some other man. I thought for sure..." he trailed off. "I thought for sure that you hated me, and that I hated you," He lowered his head to my bosom, closing his eyes and focusing on my heartbeats. "But I get it now. I love you. Just as much as you've always loved me. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get it," He placed a hand shakily on my chest, just above my heart. "I get it now, so please, _don't hate me_."

Okay. I have to admit. I didn't know what to do. Steve was always the cheery one. He made fun of everything. He always seemed so light-hearted, so sure of everything. And now he seemed so... vulnerable. He'd always kept this side of him hidden, except for the time he'd cried after Mr Crepsley calling him evil. I couldn't help it, I just froze up. Then I felt a dampness on my chest and it shocked me into action.

"It's okay," I said dumbly, pressing his head against my chest and wrapping another arm around him, as Evanna used to do to comfort me when I cried. I felt a strange sense of Deja Vu as I comforted him. "I don't hate you, Steve. I never could. No matter what. I've always loved you, through everything," As I said the words, I knew that it was true. It was the kind of clarity you got when you declared something you knew for a fact to be the truth. I had tried to deceive myself into thinking that I didn't love him, when I had always loved him. He was too busy sniffling to reply, but from the way his shaking fingers clenched mine, I could tell he understood. For a long time, long after his tears had dried, we just lay there, his head on my chest. It wasn't long before he'd fallen asleep, right on my chest.

It was right before I'd fallen asleep that I realised, I still didn't know what exactly I was to Steve. But he loved me. And that was all that really mattered.

* * *

I groaned and stretched the stiffness from my body. I must have been sleeping on the wrong side of the bed, as indicated by the tell-tale ache in my muscles. Noticing the sliver of sunlight peeking through the small crack in the curtains, I sat up abruptly. Laris always cried in the night. And I'd always slept light enough to wake up when I hear it, so I could comfort him and feed him his night formula. Or breastfeed him, if I could.

And last night, after all that had happened, _I didn't. _

I bolted out of bed, before remembering that my ex-best friend and ex-arch enemy had been sleeping on my chest. I looked around and sighed in relief, noticing that he was no longer there and I hadn't accidentally pushed him onto the floor or anything. Then Laris started wailing in an almost pathetic manner. Pushing away thoughts of where Steve could be, I rushed over to the cot and found my baby there, shaking the bars of the cot impatiently.

"Shhhh," I shushed him as I lifted him out of the cot and patted his back as comfortingly as I could. "It's okay. It's okay," I said. He quieted down almost immediately, as usual. "Where's daddy? Do you know where daddy is?" I asked him quietly, not expecting an answer and jumping when I got one.

"He's right here," Steve said from the doorway.

"Oh!" I jolted in surprise. "Steve!" I scolded, holding my baby to my chest tightly. It was an automatic reaction. Instead of nearly letting him go, my instincts went the other way, forcing him tighter against me as I tensed to fight off whatever threat there was to my child. I loosened my grip immediately. Laris hadn't made any noise of complaint, but I knew my forceful squeezing was making him uncomfortable.

"Sorry," he apologised, holding his arms out to relieve me of the child with his arms clinging around my neck. Laris obliged willingly, allowing himself to be peeled off me and draping himself over Steve. I looked over the father and son jealously.

"Where did you go?" I asked, shaking off all jealous thoughts and convincing myself that it was a good thing for the two of them to bond.

"To feed," he answered simply. I lifted an eyebrow.

"At this time?" I peered out the window at the sun. It had recently risen, but still provided enough light for a vampaneze to be seen sucking out the blood of an innocent bystander.

"Yeah," he answered. I didn't say anything more. His vampaneze-ic activities was an untouchable subject for me. He knew I didn't approve about killing people, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I would be lying if I said I completely didn't mind that he had to kill someone each time he fed, but I'd begun to accept it. It was a vampaneze's normal way of life. Just as humans eat animals.

"Are you okay now?" I asked him, leaning forward to peer up at his face as we walked to the dining area.

"What do you mean?" he asked, obviously averting my gaze.

"Well, after last night when you were crying-"

"I wasn't crying," he said quickly. Much too quickly. I halted in my advance to the dining room and stared at the man I loved.

"Yes, you were," I corrected him.

He was still concentrating on a spot on the wall to his side, his ears pink with embarrassment. I coughed, trying to hide my laugh at his very sad attempt at being macho. He gave me a dirty look. "By the way. I met someone on the way home,"

I frowned at him. "You what?" I asked, pausing before the entrance of the dining room.

"Hello, Darren," said a familiar voice. My body tensed as I registered the voice and my head swivelled around to confirm the recognition.

"_Evanna_?" I gasped. And before I knew it, I had flung myself into her arms. She laughed.

"I missed you too," she said, wrapping me in her thick arms as she always did. After a while, I pushed her away to look at her. She seemed happier, free-r.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my joy quickly being replaced by incredulity.

"To visit the two of you, of course. And to congratulate you on your healthy baby boy. I had not had the chance to do so," Steve passed Laris over into Evanna's open arms trustingly. " He's beautiful," she sighed.

"He is, isn't he?" I beamed, full of parenting pride and joy.

She nodded. Then for a moment, her expression sobered. She held Laris out to me and I took him, cradling him in my arms. "I must say, it was quite ingenious," Evanna commented with a half-smile.

"What?" Steve and I said simultanouesly, blankly.

"The treaty," she answered simply.

"Huh?" I said, still confused.

"You mean the contract thing we wrote before leaving?" Steve asked dubiously. "Really? I didn't think it would work,"

Realisation dawned as to what they were talking about and my mind flashed back to the night we left our friends.

* * *

_"Okay, just sign here," Steve said, handing me the sheet of paper._

_"I don't believe it," I sighed in bliss. "A chance to end this war and stop the fighting," I took up the pen, but before it's tip touched the paper, I turned back to Steve, realising something. "So, this is really all you want in compensation?" I asked doubtfully. He nodded. "There's a catch, isn't there?"_

_"Well... No. Not really. Come on, it's just a treaty. It's signed by the great Lord of the Vampaneze and the well-known Child Princess-" Wince "-of the Vampires. How can they not follow it? And then we'll just slip off into the night and raise Laris together," he said._

_"'together'?" I repeated, my eyebrows rising to my hairline._

_"Of course," he scoffed. "Unless..." he said hesitantly. "If you want to raise him yourself, that's fine too I guess..." He shrugged nonchalantly but I could sense the underlying desolation of the action._

_"No! I- I want to raise him with you!" I said quickly, stammering a little in my haste to explain myself._

_He smiled, relieved. "Good. Now just sign here. They'll stop fighting. And we can leave the world of vampires and the vampaneze, and avoid any chances of Laris becoming the Lord of the Shadows. We can start a new life. Raise Laris normally. Without me here to lead the vampaneze, they'll have no choice but to follow the treaty,"_

_"But the vampires wouldn't. I doubt they'd place much faith in a simple piece of paper. And they know how much I love you. How easily you can control me," His eyebrows lifted in surprise. I bit my tongue, annoyed at how much I let slip out._

_He cleared his throat. "And how easily is that?" He tried to keep his tone casual, but the grin on his face gave it away._

_"Forget I said anything," I replied in a flat tone. "Anyway, you really think this will work?"_

_"Of course. Jeez, you seemed so happy when I first told you. Stop hesitating,"_

_"I was happy that you weren't going to throw me in a frying pan and cackle as I burned to death. And I never expected you to suggest anything to do with peace. In fact, I still don't," I eyed him suspiciously. He shrugged innocently. Way too innocently._

_"I'm not doing this for me, if that's what you're thinking. I couldn't care less if the war goes on. But I don't want you or Laris to have to choose sides. That's all."_

_I was speechless. I mean, what can you say to that?_

_"Thank you," I said, finally regaining my voice._

_"You're welcome, now sign here," He thrust the parchment at me, the thin paper rustling._

_My expression of gratefulness faded instantly and I continued to regard him doubtfully._

_"It'll work! I'm sure of it," he assured me._

* * *

"I didn't actually think it would work," Steve admitted.

I slapped his arm with the back of my free hand, accidentally-on-purpose forgetting to hold back my vampiric strength.

"Ow," he protested.

"Then you'll be glad to know that both the vampaneze and the vampires are keeping the treaty. They were quite touched by your actions. Darren, in bearing Steve's child despite the odds and Steve in giving up on the victory of his clan to assist you in giving birth. They have begun to tell of the dramatic adventures of the Child Princess-" Wince. Twitch. Twitch. "-and the Lord of the Vampaneze," she smiled at us both. "And the treaty you left behind spurred them on to consider that maybe peace between the clans would not be so bad after all. The other three Princes have added their signature to the contract, and so has Gannen Harst, who is acting as the temporary steward of the vampaneze. They have discussed the guidelines that will allow both clans to live peacefully side by side," Evanna informed us. "Though of course, where there is peace, there will be someone threatening to tip the balance in favour of war once again. Namely our father,"

Unconsciously, I reached out and grabbed Steve's hand. He squeezed my fingers comfortingly.

"He came to me and asked me to bear children," she stated. I frowned.

"Wait, but your child - you told me they'd mark the start of a new breed of vampire or vampaneze, right? They can survive sunlight and..." I trailed off as I realised what exactly it meant. "Whichever side you bear children for would gain an advantage," I whispered in horror.

"Yes, and the war would be renewed. The treaty that was put in place is already shaky enough. A spark like that would be enough to start the war once again,"

"Then don't have children," Steve said, shrugging. I slapped him with the back of my hand. He frowned at me. 'What?' he mouthed at me.

I just pursed my lips and shook my head.

"It's alright, Darren," Evanna said. "Yes, those were my thoughts exactly, actually. Our father bribed and begged me to have a child. I resisted. Then I came to a realisation - there was a way to make use of this chance instead of destroy everything we had worked so hard for. And I decided to take it. Both of you inspired me to make that decision. You taught me that the impossible can happen,"

She paused and we waited, curious as to what decision she made exactly. Laris gurgled, staring at the ceiling.

"I told our father that I wasn't too sure as to whose child I wanted, a vampire's or a vampaneze's. But he didn't care, as long as I bore a child of one of them. So I spent some time with both sides. Some with Gannen Harst, and some with Vancha March," she went on.

My jaw dropped.

"_Vancha_?" I said in shock.

"_Gannen_?" Steve exclaimed at the exact same time.

Then, together: "Seriously?" My face echoed his disbelieving expression.

One of Evanna's hairy eyebrow lifted. "You have a... _problem _with my choice?" She lifted her chin, daring us to challenge her decision.

"No! No!" I said quickly.

"Not at all," Steve said equally as quickly. She watched us carefully for a moment more, then went on.

"As I said, I spent some time with both and..." she paused for dramatic effect, then placed a hand on her abdomen. "I'm pregnant."

Steve fell off his chair.

My mouth had gone dry. "Evanna!"

"I know."

"But- why?"

"I told you, to make peace."

"How will this bring peace?" I asked, confused. Steve got up and gripped the back of the chair.

"It will." Evanna said confidently.

"So - whose child is it?" Steve asked.

"Both. I'm having twins. One by Vancha, and one by Gannen," Evanna said, smiling.

There was silence, then Laris started to cry. I patted his back.

"...I did_ not_ see that one coming," Steve said, his knuckles turning white.

"Evanna, that's... That's great! It's amazing!" I said excitedly.

"What's more, I mixed all three bloodlines. My children are a third vampire, a third vampaneze and one third me. That's how I've tricked our father. He thought any baby of mine would divide the clans, but instead they will pull them closer together. My children, when they are ready, will breed with other vampires and vampaneze, to give birth to a new, multi-race clan. All divisions will be erased and finally forgotten."

"The two of you have taught me many valuable things," Evanna went on, a gentle smile on her face. "You taught me that the future isn't set in stone. We can create our own future, all of us. We have the power to rule our lives - we just have to make the choice to use it. It's always possible to achieve the impossible," She paused. "So I presume the both of you are planning to stay together from now on?"

"Of course!" Steve answered indignantly before I could say anything.

"Despite being siblings?"

"Obviously. I really don't see why that's an issue and why you women are so concerned about it," Steve rolled his eyes.

"And you, Darren?" Evanna asked.

"I love Steve. I don't want to be apart," I answered truthfully. She smiled and shook her head.

"I should have known. The future won't be easy. Quite the contrary, I'm sure my father is planning a variety of ways to get back at you. But I think that if we work together, we shall be able to establish the peace we want," she said, her smile soft and lovely.

"We won't let Tiny win," Steve agreed.

"Good." She got up from the chair with a sigh. "I must be going. There are things I must be doing, chores and duties I need to fulfil,"

"So soon?" I asked, wincing at the whiney tone my voice had adopted. Evanna smiled knowingly at me. She held out a hand and I placed mine in it without hesitation. She gripped my hand soothingly, sandwiching it between both her palms.

"This isn't goodbye. We will see each other many times in the future Darren," she assured me. "And you are always welcome in my home, sister," I felt a happy thrill run down my spine at being called a sister by Evanna.

"Okay," I said meekly. "And you're always welcome here too, Evanna. Don't hesitate to ask me for anything,"

"Thank you, Darren," she said graciously. Steve helped me up from the chair in an almost gentlemanly manner and we walked with Evanna to the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, then paused.

"A normal life. No matter how much you desire it, you should know that it is not possible for the both of you," she said seriously, meeting Steve's gaze, then mine. "You are both destined for greater things, as are your children. You may run from the world of the vampires, and the vampaneze. But you can never truly escape it. I would suggest you try not to resist it,"

There was silence as we her words of wisdom slowly seeped into our minds. Then Steve just had to open his mouth.

"Children? As in, more than one?" he asked, one side of his mouth twitching with excitement.

"Steve..." I said warningly. He looked at me with that innocent expression once again.

"What? I just want to know what the chances are that I'll be getting laid ever aga-" I cut him off, slapping his chest this time. Laris giggled at the loud smack. Evanna smiled patiently.

"I shall leave you to it then," she said, taking a step out of the house.

"Bye Evanna," I said quietly, sadly.

"Good luck, Lady," Steve called out after her. We watched her from the doorway as she vanished down the curving roads, her tiny yet broad figure causing her to stand out and yet she remained unnoticed by the passer-bys. I continued watching her until my vampiric sight could no longer follow her small silhouette.

* * *

**A/N: **Hopefully, I'll be uploading the other chapter pretty soon.

By the way, if you haven't read the Darren Shan Saga manga version, I totally recommend it. I can't stop staring (and drooling) at the manga version of Mika and Gannen. Too bad the English scans haven't gotten up to the part where Steve as an adult is revealed.


	17. Chapter 17 Forever and Ever, Amen

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, all I own to do with the Darren Shan Saga is this fic. All plot and characters of the original Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak does not belong to me.

**A/N: **This is just a short fluffy chapter to settle everything. Hopefully, Chapter 18 will be the last chapter, then I can put up the Epilogue... I guess I shouldn't say that. I might jinx myself and decide to write another thirty chapters.

I'm gonna be a bit behind on Chapter 18. Mostly because I have all these tests and crap coming up. And I had a nasty fall recently. Gained four new scars. Unhappy.

As usual, shoutouts go to meselfi, SUSHIxMONSTER, X-Jinxa-X and LartenCrepsleyForeva123 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks so much, guys!

* * *

_Chapter 17: Forever and Ever, Amen_

The rest of the day was relatively normal. In fact, it was as if Evanna's visit never happened. As usual, we played with Laris forgetting the time completely and before we knew it, the sun had set and it was bedtime once again.

As I crawled into bed, I was expecting to be assaulted with heart-melting kisses and some heated fondling but instead Steve merely drew me against his chest and held me there.

I listened to Steve's pounding heartbeats in the darkness, wondering if he was truly asleep. Evanna's words and news kept me up long after my usual sleeping time, and I pondered about them continuously. My mind flitted to other things - my son, the clan, the past, the future, and what might have been.

"Steve. You asleep?"

"Yes," I ignored his response, rolling my eyes. I could feel his grin even without looking at him.

"Hey, if the whole matter with vampires and vampaneze didn't happen, what do you think we'd be doing right now?" I asked Steve. He chuckled, and I could feel his chest move as the sound reverberated from his throat.

"Let me think," he said quietly, kissing my forehead lightly. "Well, first off, we'd be living together, of course,"

"Mm-hm," I hummed in agreement.

"You would probably be working as an entomologist..." It was my turn to laugh.

"What?" I asked in a halfway incredulous tone between giggles.

"...studying spiders, of course,"

"Huh. Well, that's not too bad, I guess," I responded. "What about you? What would you be doing?"

"Vampire hunting," he replied instantly. I punched him in the gut. "Ow," he protested. "Fine. I'd be working as the Prime Minister,"

"...The whole world would be doomed," I said, as matter-of-factly as I could manage. "And who would vote for you anyway?"

"A lot of people," he replied, sounding a little offended. "I can be quite charming when I want to,"

"Yeah, I know," I replied, thinking of how easily I'd fallen in love with him. Something in my voice must have affected him in some way, because he placed a hand under my chin, turning my face upwards to meet his gaze. He just stared at me intently, then suddenly he was lowering his head to mine, the already minuscule distance between our faces gone within seconds. Our lips met in a slow, sweet kiss that I could feel all the way down to my toes.

We broke off and I snuggled against his chest, burrowing my face into it and taking in his uniquely Steve scent. He wrapped an arm around my waist possessively, his other arm was folded under his head.

"Seriously though," I said against his broad chest, my voice slightly muffled. "What do you think you'd be?"

"In jail for trying murdering some guys who tried to flirt with you?"

My head snapped up and I stared at him in shock. He smirked at me.

"What? I was joking,"

"Yeah, but I could actually imagine that..."

"Funny. So could I," I glared at him, he continued smirking. Then he sighed and leaned his forehead against mine. "Well, it doesn't really matter to me, what could've happened. The only thing that matters is the fact that we're together now,"

"Yeah. The Child Prince of the Vampires and Lord of the Vampaneze. I would've never guessed that one,"

"Princess," Steve corrected me.

"Prince,"

"Princess,"

"Prince,"

"Princess. Prince makes me sound like I'm homosexual," Steve said.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked indignantly. "Plus, if we ever actually get married - officially - imagine what people would call us - Steve and Darren Leopard," I laughed. I felt his whole body stiffen, and stopped laughing. "What?" I asked quizzically, lifting my head to look at Steve. He had a pensive look on his face.

"Darren Leopard? That doesn't sound too bad..." Steve muttered. I stared at him stupidly. "Do you want to get married?"

I felt time stop. The planets halted their revolving. Absolute silence saturated the still night air.

All in my head, of course.

I bolted upright, and felt time resume. I gaped at the man I loved, searching his expression for any sign of humour, or falseness. I found none.

"I-" my voice cracked on that single vowel, and I cleared my throat embarrassedly. "O-Of course I want to get married. Well, that depends, though. I mean, vampires have some sort of periodic arrangement thing, you know? I don't know if I could get used to that. I've always preferred a 'Till death do us part' thing. Though, technically, I've already died. Which also means we'll never be able to officially register as a married couple. Especially considering we're not exactly human either. There'd be a lot of legal difficulties..." I trailed off, shutting my mouth with a snap. I gritted my teeth. Why was it that I could maintain my moderately witty self in front of everybody except the one I wanted most to impress? All through my babbling speech, Steve continued to look at me, a mild, unreadable expression on his face. Then he abruptly turned away from me, rolling onto his other side.

I had to admit, I felt _really_ hurt in that one second. I mean, I know I didn't exactly have a smooth - or even coherent, for that matter - reaction, but that was no reason to turn you back on someone... right?

Then, with my heightened vampire senses, I saw him reach over to the bedside table and grab something. I could make out the rectangular shape of a small-ish box in the dark, though I was unable to identify the colour. He sat up and scooted so he was sitting opposite from me, facing me.

"Do you, Steve Leopard, take Darren Shan to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, for sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" he rattled off, in a deep, falsetto voice which he must have thought sounded wise and priest-like.

"I do," he replied to himself, his voice returning to it's normal tone. He opened the box, took out a plain wedding band, placed it in my hand and held out his left hand to me. I did my best not to laugh as I slipped the ring onto his fourth finger.

"Do you, Darren Shan, take Steve Leopard to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, for sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" he asked in the same deep voice he'd used before. I grinned at him.

"I do," I replied, meaning it with all my heart. He took out another ring from the box and lifted my left hand gently, sliding on the ring. The metal on my finger felt cold, but not unwelcome. The coldness of the metal ring was amplified by the heat that flared up wherever - whenever - Steve touched me, resulting in a peculiar sensation that made the skin of my hand tingle.

"I now proclaim you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," he finished in a low voice, then pulled me forward by my left hand and kissed me. The tingling spread from my hand to the rest of my body. Funny how we'd been intimate so many times before and I still have this sort of reaction. He tugged me nearer, placing me in his lap as he deepened the kiss.

It was a long time before we were breathing again. Well, gasping for breath, more like. I sighed in bliss, leaning my head against his chest. His arms were wound around me, holding me in place. I admired my ring, holding it before my face.

"Can I take it off?" I asked. I could feel his whole body tense then quickly un-tense as he became aware of it.

"Isn't it a little quick to be divorcing me?" he asked in a light tone that masked an inner hurt.

"I want to look at it properly," I answered. I could almost hear the mental sigh of relief. He held the little metal ring on my left hand between his thumb and pointer finger and tugged it off. All I could think was, how embarrassing would it be if it was stuck on my finger and he couldn't remove it?

But thankfully, it came off rather easily. For once, I was glad that I was a vampire whose diet consisted mostly of liquids. Well, not really. But liquid-ish enough.

He handed me the ring and I examined it carefully. It was pretty, and even in the dark, I could tell that it was a bright, shiny object. I ran my fingers across it's smooth shape and was surprised to find words engraved on the inside. I held up the ring and read the words 'I love Steve' on the inside.

That did it. The laughter I had been suppressing since Steve started his imitation of a priest bubbled over and overflowed out of me in peals of laughter. Okay, okay, so it was closer to guffaws than peals. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that my beloved's arms were holding onto me, I would have rolled off the bed, laughing my ass off.

"What's so funny?" he asked, and I could tell he was lifting an eyebrow from amused curiosity without even looking at him.

"Nothing," I replied, wiping tears from my eyes. "Your humble personality just totally blew me away,"

"It's not wrong, is it?" he asked, placing a finger inside the ring I held up and lightly stroking the engraved words.

"No. In fact, it couldn't be more right," I replied. I shifted myself in his arms, and my leg brushed against something velvety. I reached out and took hold of the jewellery box the rings had come in. I noticed that it was old and slightly tattered in certain areas. I frowned at it's aged, worn-out appearance. "Hey, how long have you been carrying these things about?"

He hesitated, taking the box from me and examining it as I had just moments before, but taking note of different things. He examined it as if it was something he'd done many times before.

"A while," he finally answered.

"A while?" I echoed, adding a quizzical twist to his words. Again he hesitated.

"Since your eleventh birthday," he confessed.

I turned in his arms, to stare up at him. "Huh?"

"They were meant as a joke," he explained. "But as time passed by, things changed, and I found that I couldn't do it. It somehow didn't seem... right," he shrugged. "So I just kept it. Then when you left..." he paused dramatically. "I was going to throw it away, but I couldn't do that either..."

"Oh..." I said, and rested my head once more on his chest, slipping my ring back on. "I'm glad you kept it," I said, after a few moments of nostalgic silence.

"Me too," he answered, kissing my forehead. "By the way," he said, breaking another comfortable silence that had settled between us. "You know what comes after the wedding, right?"

"What?" I asked him curiously. I had attended some weddings when I was much younger with my parents, and all I remember coming after weddings were absurdly large banquets that looked pretty, but very rarely tasted good.

"Consummation of our bond," he answered nonchalantly. This time, I went all tense. I could feel something hard and hot poking at my bottom. "The honeymoon, Mrs Leopard," he reiterated. I looked up. He grinned down at me with an expression I'm sure the wolf had on when little red riding hood made a comment about his teeth, minus the lust.

Then, without warning, he ripped off my clothing. The sound of fabric being torn brutally made me wince.

"Steve!" I gasped, shocked and outraged. I liked that shirt!

"Whoops," he said insincerely, grinning. His hands moved over me, the warmth of them making me shiver.

"Steeeeevee," I moaned, drawing out the word.

His head moved down, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down my stomach to my shorts. He proceeded to rip them off too, with one single pull.

"There were buttons, you animal!" I protested through my lustful haze. He started to pleasure me in the way only he could, seeming to know my every sensitive spot, and how to touch it in a way that would make me writhe. I nearly screamed. I clamped my hands down on my mouth to keep from waking up our kid.

It was only seconds later when I started to tumble off into Happyland. Steve watched me as I shook and trembled from the force of my orgasm. I stared back at him, and then decided to act on a primitive impulse.

I sat up and tackled him, pushing him onto his back. He let out a grunt of surprise at the sudden reversal of roles. I was surprised by the fact that I, too, knew how to make him squirm. This time it was Steve's turn to moan.

I smiled at the power I held over him. Steve started to writhe, just as I had. At one point, he even whimpered.

I couldn't help it. I laughed, my mirth getting the better of me.

"You think it's funny?" he asked, his eyes burning with lust.

"I do, actually," I replied. He then returned my tackle, grasping my wrists and pinning me onto the bed. A thrill of excitement ran through me at the way he was asserting his dominance. Once again I cursed that masochistic side of me.

"Well then, let's see who makes the most noise when I'm inside you," he said.

Except it was hard to tell over the sound of the bed creaking as we moved against each other desperately, wanting to touch each other over and over again.

Then the bed wasn't just creaking, it was creaking _violently_ and it had somehow started thumping too. At the back of my mind, I worried that we might have woken Laris up with the amount of noise we were making but I couldn't concentrate on it long enough. From the amount of protesting from the bed, I was guessing that Steve was making use of his vampanezic strength, and I think I may have been doing the same.

The pressure in my abdomen started to build up and all I could think about was how much I loved the man above me. We moved as one, a sort-of married couple, utterly and completely made for each other.

Both of us had been away from each other so long that we didn't last long.

He collapsed against me, the bed letting out a last, loud protesting groan. He kissed my neck as he rested on me, confident in my ability to not be squashed by his body weight.

"Now I get what it means," he muttered

"Hmm?" I hummed quizzically.

"Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I don't think I've ever had an orgasm like that,"

I laughed. "Me neither, actually,"

He got up and gazed at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Wanna do it again, _Mrs Leopard_?"

"Uhh..." I said nervously, trying not to acknowledge the evil grin on his face.

Just then, Laris wailed.

Thank God for children.

He pouted and released me.

"Oh well." he said. "We have the rest of our lives to do this," he shrugged as I ransacked the wardrobe for clothing, my shirt and shorts unsalvageable.

My hands paused as I was drawing the shirt over my head. "Yes, we do, don't we?" I said, wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

"Yup. Forever. And ever. And ever," Steve said, reaching over and helping me pull the shirt down over my head. Then he kissed me on the lips, his arms winding behind my back, drawing me closer.

"I love you, Mr Leopard," I told him, placing my palms on the sides of his face.

"I love you too, Mrs Leopard," he replied with a grin. Then he grabbed hold of my shoulders and pushed me towards the door. "Now go before I lose control."

I laughed and rushed out of the room giddily, admiring my new ring as I left towards my son's room.

* * *

**A/N: **What is with me and matching jewellery?

To be truthful, I wasn't so sure about which to use - Leonard or Leopard. But I went with Leopard in the end, seeing as how that's the name Steve went by with the code to open the door back in the tunnels. So I'm just inferring that Steve goes by that in his new life as a vampaneze. If you guys don't like it, please tell me. I can just as easily change it to Leonard, which I have to admit sounds more 'official'.

Just so you know, Chapter 18 might take a while to go up. I've been pretty busy lately. However! I've learnt to upload documents using my phone, which I use to write them. So maybe it wouldn't be late. Who knows?

Come on, we're nearing the end! Review?


	18. Chapter 18 Bloody Long Conclusion

**Disclaimer: **Bwahaahaha! My second last time writing this! Whee-hee! I don't own the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak and any of it's characters/plot!

**A/N:** This is it guys. The final chapter. Sorry, I don't think there'd be another chapter after this, unless this chapter is too long and I have to split it up.

Maybe I should have split it up. I didn't know how to end it. There are a lot of things I wanted to include in this fic, and not enough space to do so. Oh well. Anything else I missed will be in the epilogue, or you can just review and ask me!

And a final warning that, if you haven't noticed, this chapter is an amazing 8000+ words. I had a lot to say. After much discussion with my wonderful regular reviewer, meselfi - who I love so much for her help - we decided to keep it unsplit. Which is good, because the number 18 is important to me. So, peoples, please be patient with me and remember to take regular breaks while reading this fic so that your eyes don't pop out of your sockets from overuse.

And, as always, thanks to meselfi, X-Jinxa-X, SUSHIxMONSTER, S.L. Gibbs and LartenCrepsleyForeva123 for reviewing the last chapter. I love your comments!

* * *

Chapter 18 Bloody Long Conclusive Statements

I fiddled with my collar idly, trying to conceal the turmoil in my head, to prevent it from showing up on my face. This whole matter was bad enough without me having to add to it. I risked a peek at the man beside me. His face was hard, his back straight and fists clenched on his knees. His knuckles were turning bone-white, but he didn't seem to notice it. Confliction radiated off him in waves.

I turned away from him and stared straight at the vampire leaning against the counter. He seemed too burly, too wild to be in our normal-sized kitchen. His dyed green hair just stood out against the dull, grey colour of the wallpaper. It was an odd sight. Then of course there were the purple animal hides he wore as clothing. He seemed too pre-occupied with playing with our one and a half year old toddler than to involve himself in our conversation, but I knew he was listening. Vancha was just sharp that way. Laris chuckled as he tried to catch hold of Vancha's hand, and Vancha kept snatching it away before Laris could grasp it. But Laris kept getting closer and closer. I smiled briefly at the scene, admiring the dexterity and grace at which my young son moved. It was definitely a vampire/vampaneze thing. He had superior reflexes, compared to any toddlers his age.

Continuing with the scan of the room, my eyes fell on the only other figure in the kitchen, sitting silently at the dining table, his fingers weaved together elegantly and placed idly on the table. He stared intently at Steve, and if it weren't for the fact that I was married - sort of - to Steve, I would have suspected that something was there. Or maybe it was just an automatic reaction to the intent gaze anybody held against my beloved.

It had been far too long since I'd felt this kind of hair-raising tension. I desperately wanted to reach over to the knife cupboard and try slicing the air, just out of curiosity. It felt _that_ thick. Quietly, I went over the news and request our friends had brought to us.

* * *

_Half an hour ago._

"Steve, could you get the door?" I asked, stifling a yawn. I had just woken up, and it was completely dark outside. I was still getting used to being a full vampire. The final stage of the purge had passed recently, and finally, there were no more human cells in my body. I could no longer go out in the sun. And Steve, despite still being half, indulged me by sleeping with me - And by that I mean just sleeping. Most of the time, anyway - during the day. At first, I rejoiced over my conversion. It probably meant that I wouldn't get periods anymore, right?

Wrong. I continued to be fertile. Not that it's a bad thing. I can still have children, which is great, I guess. I already have Laris, though. Why would I need more children?

Either way, it was going to be a long time before I even consider having another child. I continued to take contraceptives (And prayed they worked for full vampires) and every day Steve continued to ravish me. I wondered when he'd start to get tired of constantly making love. If I had to guess, it would be centuries.

"Sure. Hey, have you seen my phone?" He replied, walking towards the front door.

"Nope. Did you lose it again?" I asked with a frown.

"Probably," I could tell he was shrugging despite being out of my line of sight. "I'll just buy a new one, I guess." His voice conveyed the nonchalance with which he treated money.

I sighed at my husband's wasteful manner. I should probably mention that he had what he considered to be a 'successful' online business. Except that it wasn't exactly legal. And his merchandise was weapons. I wasn't happy about the line of business in which he'd dabbled in but he simply told me this was the safest way he had to earn money to sustain our family. He didn't have to go out in the sun - in anticipation of the day he became a full vampaneze - mingle with people and show them his increasingly purple skin and red eyes, or even interact too much with them. After all, most of his customers didn't want to be making friends with someone who owned an illegal business. They just wanted to get in, get their stuff, and get out. Which worked fine for us.

Whoever was at the door continuously rapped it, obviously impatient.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Steve muttered to himself. I smiled as I was making the bed, having heard the barely audible comment despite the great distance separating us. I continued to smooth out our blanket as I heard our front door creak open.

"Yeah, what do you wa-" I heard Steve say before he cut off, sucking in a surprised breath. I reacted instantly to that single gasp, dropping the blanket and rushing down the hallway to peek at the visitor so that I would have enough time to get to Laris and jump out the window should whoever it was at the door bear us any harm. Once I reached the hallway and managed to catch a glimpse of the people at the door, I gasped just as Steve did. Our visitors looked over Steve's shoulder at me with contrastingly different expressions, in such close proximity to each other that they painted a peculiar picture of juxtaposition. One had the same neutral, polite yet tense expression on his face as he gazed at me, the other's broke into a broad smile as he noticed me.

I couldn't help it, I shouted his name in excitement without even thinking about it. "Vancha!" I rushed down the hallway and got to the door to greet the man who was my fellow Prince when Steve held out an arm, impeding me from going any further. I frowned at my sort-of husband.

"If you would be so kind, would you mind telling us what business exactly you have doing here?" Steve asked, his voice cold and almost professional in tone. I frowned at his demeanour. I thought he would have been at least excited about meeting his former mentor.

Before Gannen or Vancha could answer Steve's question, I slapped his blocking arm away. He stared at me, offended at my unneeded use of force.

"Don't be silly, Steve. They could have easily snuck up and killed us if they wanted to," I scolded him, then stepped forward with a smile into Vancha's waiting arms. I could sense Steve pouting as I threw my arms around the filthy Prince, wrinkling my nose as it registered his foul smell. After two years of not being around unshowered vampires, my nose was extra sensitive to the smell. And it didn't help that Gannen, despite being another member of the undead, didn't smell as bad.

"How have you been, Princess?" Vancha chuckled as I embraced him whole-heartedly, happiness overwhelming the disgust. For both the room-clearing odour and use of that vile word. I can't believe that after all we've been through togther, he was_ stil_l calling me that.

"Surprisingly good," I answered.

"That's good," he laughed. Then I felt strong arms wind around my waist and pry me off the burly vampire.

"Okay, we're all good and we missed each other. Now stop touching each other," Steve said sulkily, his arms tense around my waist.

"Steve," I protested. Vancha lifted an eyebrow at his obviously jealous behaviour, and his sharp eyes caught something. He reached out and gripped my left hand, peering intently at my fourth finger.

"Oh-_ho, _and what is _this_?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. I instantly blushed. Since we'd completed our vows informally, no one had ever noticed my ring. And it's not like there was anyone I could show. Which was fine with me, I had Steve. I had caught Evanna eyeing it the few times she came to visit us, but she said nothing and only gave me that almost-cheeky knowing smile.

Gannen, who was looking over Vancha's shoulder mirrored that same knowing look that Evanna had, just without the smile. "You finally gave it to her," he said.

"You say that as if you never thought it was possible," Steve replied, still holding me close to him.

"I didn't," Gannen replied. "May we come in?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.

"No," was Steve's instant answer.

"Yes," was my instant answer. An awkward moment of silence followed our responses, then I elbowed Steve away and gestured for our guests to come in.

Steve voiced out a protesting "Oof," at my attempt to injure him, but made no other move to chase away Gannen and Vancha.

"Guess we know who wears the pants in this household," Vancha muttered to his brother. Gannen just looked at Vancha for a moment before turning away, unamused. Vancha just shrugged good-naturedly.

As we walked to the dining room/kitchen - the dining room _was_ the kitchen - , Laris started grunting with frustration, obviously trying to escape his cot. The infuriated snarls increased in desperation as we just stood there listening to it. I looked to Steve, needing no words to communicate.

"You go. I'll take them to the dining room," Steve said. I nodded gratefully.

"Don't kick them out while my back's turned," I called over my shoulder as I left to Laris's room. All I heard in reply was an offended huff.

* * *

When I finally freed Laris and got to the kitchen, I noticed that an awkward atmosphere had settled between the three men. That is, until Laris got there. Vancha was the first to jump up and hold out his arms in the perfect pose for baby-holding. Steve and Gannen remained seated at the dining table, though I saw both vampaneze give Laris a small smile, Steve's a little wider than Gannen.

"Hey there, kid-who-I've-never-met-because-your-parents-took-off-without-saying-goodbye!" Vancha said with a sort of sarcastic enthusiasm as I handed Laris over. I rolled my eyes.

"It was _his_ idea," I gestured to Steve.

"You say that as if I threw you over my shoulder and took you by force,"Steve retorted.

"If not for that piece of paper you left behind, that's exactly what we would have thought," Gannen said, his fingers curled around the handle of the cup elegantly. I observed his actions in admiration. He was like a paradox to me. A sophisticated vampaneze. It was an oxymoron through and through.

Steve turned to Gannen, looking hurt. "You're supposed to be on _my _side," he protested. Gannen's expression remained neutral, but I suspected that he was amused by Steve's protest.

"I take no sides," Gannen answered simply.

"Awww, I wish you were a girl, then I could marry you to one of our sons," Vancha cooed to Laris. That caught my attention.

"Sons? Evanna gave birth?" I asked in surprise. Evanna's last visit was several months ago, and she had mentioned that her labour period was nearing. But she didn't say when.

"Yes, a few weeks ago. She is still recovering from the whole ordeal, or she would have come to visit you," Vancha explained.

I nodded, understanding. Steve and I were still avoiding the vampire and vampaneze clan. Evanna understood that, and had mentioned that with the date of her children's birth nearing, more and more members of both clans had been to visit her. A visit from Vancha and Gannen was nowhere near as bad as having to face the rest of our clan mates. "So. Boys, huh?" I asked.

"Yes, both of them. The Lady was surprised herself. She was expecting females - or at least one female - as they would be best to breed with the male majority of the clan," Vancha said, bouncing Laris on his hip. "But she figures that there has to be a reason for it, so she didn't really say anything more about it,"

"I see," I said, frowning. There were very few female vampires in the clan, and I suspected even less in the vampaneze clan. And could female vampires and vampaneze even get pregnant with the right seed? I could, but that was because I was one of Mr Tiny's 'children'. But I supposed that Evanna was right and there may be a reason for it - either that or Mr Tiny got wind of it and made sure they were males. Either way, I supposed it didn't matter. "So why aren't you with her considering she just gave birth to your children?"

"We were, but she kicked us out. She said it was so she could send us here to give you the news," Vancha said, looking at his brother. "But _I_ think it's because _someone_ decided to play the mother hen and pissed the Lady off,"

"You can't blame me for worrying about the mother of our children," Gannen frowned.

"Yeah, but I can blame you for treating her like a frail child. Evanna's not like that and we know it," Vancha snapped back and both brothers glared at each other. I could tell that this was not the first argument between them. I wondered if the reason Evanna kicked them out wasn't because of Gannen's fussing but due to their brotherly squabbling.

Steve cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for delivering the news. Now, I'm sure you must be busy-" Steve started to get up from his chair, with the intention of escorting them out the door, I'm sure.

"Sit down, Steve," Gannen interrupted, fixing his gaze on the ex-Lord of the Vampaneze. Steve visibly deflated and sat back down, sighing. Gannen waited until Steve was properly seated, then cleared his throat just as Steve had. "We are here for more than one reason. We need to... request something of you,"

Steve's eyebrows went all the way up to his hairline. "Request something?" he repeated.

"Yes," Gannen answered. Vancha and I remained quiet as we listened to the strangely serious conversation. Even Laris was oddly silent. He seemed to be able to sense the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"As you have probably heard from Evanna, I have taken the position of temporary steward of the clan, but many vampaneze remained scattered." Gannen started.

Steve had actually explained to me that vampaneze don't have a 'home' like the vampires do, simply because if they were concentrated in one area, the death rates of humans around that area would go up. And people would start to get suspicious. The vampaneze lived on the ignorance and disbelief of humans. They didn't feed as often as vampires did, but they still drained at least one human once a month, at the minimum. It was why they would not be able to live very long on Vampire Mountain either. The distance from actual human beings was too much, and though they weren't bound by vampire laws, if we were at peace with them, they would be obliged to follow them. And the vampaneze respected tradition even more than vampires did. They wouldn't have flitted up the mountain, even if it killed them. And no way could they flit up with a kidnapped human for every vampaneze that lived there. It wasn't so bad in small numbers, but in larger numbers...

"Yeah. And?" Steve replied, sounding bored.

"Some vampaneze are rebelling against our orders, as are the vampets. They continue to fight the war, despite knowing about the established peace treaty," Gannen went on.

"So punish them. Tell them off. Put them to death. Whatever. You're the boss now, Gannen," Steve shrugged, and Gannen's face darkened at the apparent lack of concern his Lord was feeling. But I could tell from the tension in Steve's shoulders that the news bothered him more than he let on.

"Leadership, on a normal basis, has to be earned. And sometimes it can take years. But the vampaneze have evolved with the knowledge that the Lord of the Vampaneze will lead over us. Your role is important, Steve. It isn't easy for just anyone to replace it, and certainly not in mere months," Gannen said quietly.

There was silence for a while.

"Are you asking me to go back as the Lord of the Vampaneze, Gannen?" Steve asked finally, breaking the tense silence.

"Yes," Gannen answered. "They have said that they will listen to no one else. Half of them can't read, Steve, much less trust some symbols on a piece of paper. They need proof,"

The room fell silent once again. I ached to walk over to my husband and place my hands on his shoulders, to show him I would support him no matter what, but this was something he had to decide on his own. Any interference from me could influence his decision. And I didn't want that. But I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to Laris and I if Steve decided to return as the Vampaneze Lord. Would I continued living here while he was with the vampaneze? Or would I go with him? Or maybe I'd go live with Evanna, or return to Vampire Mountain? I didn't know. All I knew? I didn't want to be separated from Steve. But I would have - if that was what he wanted.

Just as I was thinking that, Steve turned to look at us, as if reading my mind. His gaze fell on Laris first, who turned to meet his father's gaze despite having fun playing with Vancha. A brief smile spread over Steve's face, then he moved on, looking me in the eye. I didn't have to say anything. I smiled slightly at him, silently telling him that I would be there for him no matter what. He smiled back, then turned around to face Gannen again.

"Alright, but on one condition," Steve said finally. A flash of relief passed through Gannen's face, but left quickly as he sobered, remembering just how his Lord was. Steve watched Gannen's reaction, the same grin on his face. "You need to make me into a full vampaneze,"

Gannen's eyebrows went up to the ceiling. "What?" he asked almost incredulously.

"Well, you see, the thing is, my wife has gone through the purge and she seems to have gained the ability to flit. And I don't like that," Steve explained childishly.

"Superiority complex," I muttered under my breath.

"Be quiet, you," he muttered back without looking in my direction. Which was just as well because I suspected that if he did, I would have burst out laughing. In fact, I was having trouble stifling my giggles at Vancha's amused look. Never in a million years would he have expected such light banter between us, considering all that's happened.

"Is that all the terms you'd place before us, Lord?" Gannen said, slipping back into Protector-Of-The-Vampaneze-Lord mode.

"We need a base. One that's not so noticeable. Some place where both vampires and vampaneze can reside. As can my family," Steve gestured in our general direction. "And I also need you to make sure no harm will _ever _come to them. No matter the circumstance,"

"Alright," Gannen agreed easily. He was able to empathise now, with sons of his own. And he seemed quite desperate to get Steve back as his Lord. I guess the vampaneze must have been having more problems than I thought.

"I mean it, Gannen. I don't care if there are any vampire-hating vampaneze out there, or some trigger-happy vampets. If anyone dares to do so much as scratch my wife and kid, I'll sentence them to death. In fact, make that an official rule."

"You want me to make that a rule? Isn't that going a bit overboard?"

"No. Just tell them 'Thou shalt never harm the family of the Vampaneze Lord or thou shalt suffer horrible consequences' or something. Because they will if anything like that happens," I nearly smiled at that comment, wondering how a person could change so much in a mere year and a half.

Gannen remained silent, staring at Steve disbelievingly, waiting for Steve to jump up from his chair and go "Hah! Just kidding!" But Steve remained unmoving. Finally, Gannen sighed.

"Fine. I shall... see to that matter,"

"Well then," Steve said. "It's settled."

"Yes," Gannen agreed. "Would you like me to blood you now?"

Steve shrugged. "Sure,"

"You might want to take Laris out of the room," Vancha said to me. I nodded, taking my son from him as we left the room. I heard the sound of nails unhesitantly opening up skin as I left, and walked quickly down the hallway. I got to the bedroom and shut the door, just as Steve let out a foul curse. I had no idea what being blooded to become a full vampaneze entailed, but whatever it was, it didn't seem pleasant. Idly, I wondered if Steve would change any more physically. His skin had already gained the characteristic purple tinge of the vampaneze and the deep crimson eyes.

Laris reached out and palmed my face, as if worried about me. I smiled at him reassuringly, stroking his cheeks in return. He gave me a dazzling, boyish grin that reminded me of his father.

"It looks like we'll be moving again, kiddo," I told him. He just kept grinning at me, as if happy at the notion of a new home. I smiled back faintly, a sudden bout of concern weakening my smile as I thought of what the future held for us. My mind flashed back to Evanna's words, how she had warned us that a normal life was out of reach for us. Sighing and holding Laris securely with one arm, I went to the wardrobe and opened it, taking out a large suitcase we had purchased a while ago and placing some stuff in it. I packed slowly, slow even by human standards, taking my time as I threw things in one-handed, talking to Laris as I did.

I had finished placing most of our clothes in the suitcase when Steve opened the door and entered the room.

I stared at him as he entered, noting the lack of change in his physical appearance and the smell of dried sweat and vampaneze blood mixed in with his natural scent.

"Oh good. You're packing," he said, his voice coarse and tired with what I guessed to be exertion.

"Yeah. Are you okay?" I asked, trying to keep Laris from falling out of my arms as he reached for Steve. Steve took him carefully, cuddling the toddler.

"Yup. It wasn't that bad," was what he said, but I suspected he was trying to play down his experience so I wouldn't worry. It didn't work. I just kept scanning him for any visible signs of injury or stress. He seemed to notice my paranoid behaviour and held out one arm, gesturing for me to come to him, the other remained curved around our son. I stepped forward and before I knew it I had crossed the room, resting my head on my husband's chest, listening intently to the constant thumps of his heart. I breathed in a sigh of relief as I felt his healthy heart beat away, and his warm arms curl around my waist. Laris, as sensitive as ever, seemed to notice my relief and twined his tiny hands in my hair comfortingly.

"By the way..." Steve said after a few minutes, his chest reverberating with his voice. "Do you remember the place I took you to when I kidnapped you?"

"What, that dingy hotel?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled as I spoke to his torso.

"Yeah. Gannen and I decided to use that as our temporary base." Steve said.

I lifted my head from his chest, frowning. I just stared at the Vampaneze Lord. He seemed concerned as he looked at me.

"You don't... mind, do you?" he asked doubtfully, seeming to dread my answer.

"Well... No, I guess not..." I answered equally as hesitantly. I didn't mind now, but if I were to ever see that coffin and room again, I might not be okay.

"We'll live in a different section," Steve said quickly, reading my mind. Well, perhaps not so much reading my mind but thinking the same thing as I did at the exact same time. "We don't ever have to set foot in that part of the building ever again,"

"I'm fine with it, Steve, really. I'll stick with you no matter what. " I smiled at him, standing on the tip of my toes and leaning up to give him a chaste peck on the lips. Unfortunately, his basest of instincts were instantly activated and he tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer and melding me to him. I moaned as he started to ravage my lips. Then something tugged my hair painfully. I gasped and broke our kiss, as did Steve. Turning our heads, we caught sight of our son pouting and tugging clumps of both our hair.

"What?" Steve asked, his lower lip jutting out, pouting just like his son.

"You lovebirds done yet?" Vancha's voice came from outside our room. "We need to leave before the sun comes up."

"Coming," I called back.

"Are you?" Steve asked, one eyebrow lifted suggestively as he moved his palm in circles over my fleshy behind.

I rolled my eyes and shoved him away, knowing it wouldn't do him any damage and continued to throw things into the suitcase before sitting on it, forcing it closed with my weight and with much difficulty, zipping it closed.

"You do know we can just buy more stuff when we get there, right?" he asked, the end of his mouth twitching amusedly.

"Yes, but this is_ Laris_'s stuff," I answered. Steve stared at me blankly.

"Okay. So?" Steve asked.

"I want to remember this house and the times we had in it," I explained. "And the fun we had bringing Laris up together," At my words, Steve looked up at the ceiling, as if realising for the first time what we were giving up. His eyes softened.

"Yeah, you're right," he answered. "But you know what?" he turned to face me, a bright grin on his face. "We have plenty of time to make more memories,"

I smiled back slightly. He held out his arm and I placed my hand in the crook of his arm as we left the room.

* * *

I was being stared at. A lot. By dozens of red eyes. When we first got here, there were virtually no vampaneze. But as the days went by, their numbers increased. A lot. And as I was the only vampire there, with my part vampaneze, part vampire son, we attracted a lot of stares. Which was normal, I supposed.

A mere week had passed since we arrived in this old hotel, but I had been visited by a variety of guests, including Debbie and Andy - who had surprisingly found a soul mate in each other. I was ecstatic for them, as they were for us - kinda. Debbie loved my ring - but not so much my husband. Neither did Andy. But the few glimpses they got of our interactions - Steve and I - had convinced them that our union was for the best. And of course, there was Laris. He immediately convinced my brother and his new girlfriend (also my girlfriend) that there was no way an evil person could help create something so... beautiful.

Then there was Evanna and her twins. They were crazy. One was so much like Vancha, climbing up the table, then falling off - on his head - then getting up and climbing back up the table again, only to slip off the edge. I was concerned about this - the pudgy baby seemed quite fragile, but Evanna merely waved away my concerns, stating that he was more indestructible than he seemed. And he liked the free-fall, apparently. The other just sat quietly, scanning the hall and everyone in it silently, as if plotting something or wary of an attack. However, you would think that with such a great contrast between them, there would be _no way_ they would get along. But they did. In fact, they _finished _each other's sentences. _Constantly_. It was scary and amazing at the same time. Physically, the twins were only slightly smaller than Laris, despite being a little less than a year and a half younger than him. Evanna said that they should become adults in a year, growing as fast as their mother did.

I held Laris in my lap in that mess hall, the collective dining area, feeding him tiny spoonfuls of oatmeal. Or, well, supervising him as he spilt spoons of oatmeal on his clothes. The intense stares of the multitudes of people unnerved me, but so far none of them had been nasty. Some were a little unfriendlier than most, but otherwise I left them alone and they left me alone.

I reached over and wiped up some oatmeal on my son's nose, the product of a misaim with the spoon held clumsily in his left hand.

Feeling a stiff crick in my neck, I lifted my head, stretching the muscles. Heads all over the hall turned away, averting my gaze.

"Wow, this isn't awkward at all," I muttered to myself.

"I'm sorry?" a vampaneze passing by asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just talking to myself," I tried to smile at him in a friendly manner. He nodded back in respect - even thought it was obvious he thought I was crazy, but I was still married to the Vampaneze Lord and he wouldn't dare insult me in any way - then gave a small smile to Laris before leaving. If there was something I've noticed about vampires and vampaneze - the majority of them loved children. Maybe it was because they didn't and never could have any of their own, but they always seemed to look at mine fondly.

Laris giggled, attracting my attention and I turned to look at him. There was oatmeal everywhere - but the bowl was empty. I laughed at my oatmeal-covered child, trying fruitlessly to clean off the oatmeal. Finally, I gave up. The only handkerchief I had was far too dirty to clean him off. I ended up merely smearing oatmeal all over him.

"I'll help you clear this up, Lady," the vampaneze from earlier who thought I was crazy graciously offered. I looked at him with a surprised smile.

"Thank you. That's very kind," I frowned as I registered the title he'd used to call me. " But why am the 'Lady'? Isn't that Evanna?"

"Yes, she is. But considering that you're married to our Lord..." he said. I couldn't help noticing that the end of his mouth twitched at the word 'married', as if it was some kind of private joke among the vampaneze. Did the vampaneze not get married? Maybe they got mated like vampires do... I wondered about that. Steve never told me much about vampaneze customs. I suspected he himself knew little about it. But that was just an assumption.

The vampaneze started to clean up our messy table as I stood up and in the midst of bending down to lift Laris in my arms to carry him back to our room, I was overcome with a sudden wooziness. I collapsed back onto the chair, gasping as multi-coloured stars blocked out my vision like the night sky was being shone into my eyes.

"Lady?" The vampaneze frowned in panic at my strange behaviour.

For a second, I felt butterflies in my stomach. But not the nervous kind. The carnivorous, aggressive kind. They rolled around and punched my stomach walls with their powdery wings.

So I did the only thing I could to eradicate the nausea. I regurgitated my breakfast, most of it landing at someone's feet nearby, narrowly missing him.

I could hear people shouting my name, asking me if I was alright. But I ignored them, focusing on trying to fight off another bout of vomiting.

A small voice, by no means weak or soft, roused me from my daze.

"Mummy! Mummy!" Laris wailed, trying to crawl to me as a few vampaneze held onto him, ensuring that he doesn't fall off the table. I stared at my son in shock. Unable to get to me, he looked over his shoulder and shouted. "Daddy! Daddy!" instead. My eyes were glued to my son. I was stunned by his first two words. 'Mummy' had been his first, I thought happily, triumphantly - but 'Daddy' had been close behind.

"I'm okay," I mumbled in what I hoped was a coherent voice.

"We need to get you to the Doctor, Lady." a voice urged me, and a hand tugged at my arm gently, guiding me to my feet.

"My son," I said, hating the empty feel of nothing in my arms. The vampaneze hesitated before handing me my oatmeal-covered son. Laris let out a sigh of relief that sounded strangely similar to 'mummy' as he settled in my arms. For the first time since I had fallen onto the chair, I'd noticed that all the vampaneze who I thought cold and unfriendly had rushed to my aid and were crowded around me, concerned looks on their faces. It reminded me of the time Laris kicked me while he was in my womb and all the vampires had crowded around me, wanting to feel him. With the comforting feel of Laris in my arms, and the initial excitement at his first words causing endorphins to run through my veins, I had completely forgotten my dramatic act of puking and any other urges to be sick. I quickly sobered as the vampaneze guided us to the 'Doctor'.

Steve had mentioned him to me once, saying that the Doctor was someone who he had met during his quests of vampire hunting, and wished too to become a vampire. He had felt horrible after becoming a vampaneze and being forced to kill his victims. So, to atone for his sins, he merely fed on criminals - rapists, murderers, robbers - and treated the vampanezes' wounds. Steve had said that the Doctor was crucial in the War of the Scars, most vampaneze were traditionalists. They believed that saliva cured all. But that wasn't always true. Many vampaneze, despite being as strong as they were, died of infections, or unknown diseases. The Doctor's presence ensured that their numbers didn't taper off as much due to such things. I had asked Steve if the Doctor actually had a name, or if he just went by Doctor. Steve had shrugged and told me he had no idea. Everyone just called him Doctor.

As we walked through the hotel, I kept thinking of ways to tell my fellow vampaneze - whose actions had surprised me pleasantly - that I was fine now and didn't need to see the Doctor. But before I could think of a valid excuse, we had arrived at the Doctor's. Most vampaneze had gone off, convinced that I was fine. The only vampaneze with me was the one who offered to clean our table.

He opened the door of the make-shift clinic and helped me in. A young-ish man who seemed to be in his early thirties sat at a desk, peering closely at a thick book. He had strawberry blonde hair and his red eyes were droopy, an unusual combination that made him seem gentle, a pacifist. Fitting, considering that he was a doctor. He looked up as we entered the room, lifting an orangey eyebrow at me.

"Ah, Lady," he said in surprise, rising from his desk to lightly grasp the elbow which the other vampaneze had been holding, guiding me here with it and yet keeping the contact minimal and to the most decent of places.

"Um. Hi," I said awkwardly, my dirty son clinging to me, both arms wrapped around my neck. The Doctor guided me to a bed and motioned for me to sit. I sat, placing Laris beside me and warning him not to fall off the bed. The vampaneze who had accompanied me explained to the Doctor everything that had happened. The Doctor listened quietly, nodding, then got up to diagnose me.

"I'm fine, really," I said, holding out my hands in a protective gesture.

"Nonsense," The Doctor huffed and proceeded to perform a series of tests on me. I felt like a guinea pig. The other vampaneze sat in a corner of the room, watching us. I felt a little unnerved by it.

At the end of the tests, the Doctor sat opposite from me with a sigh. "Well, I can't seem to find anything devastatingly wrong with you. You're extremely healthy - as is your baby,"

"Of course Laris is fine," I huffed defensively, wrapping my arms around Laris. And how would he have known if Laris was okay or not? He didn't perform any tests on him!

The Doctor frowned. "I wasn't talking about your son. I was talking about the baby in your womb." My jaw dropped. The baby in my what? I was barely registering my surroundings as the Doctor went on, rattling off other stuff about the child in my womb. "As far as I can tell, you seem to be in the very early stages of pregnancy - three weeks, perhaps - so I guess technically it's a foetus. But I've always preferred refering to them as babies."

"I'm- what?" I spat out in shock.

The Doctor blinked. "Three weeks pregnant?" he said unsurely.

"I- Oh..." I said, trying to wrap my head around it. "Huh. Well, that's... Huh."

There was pure silence in the room as I continued to think about what this meant and how it happened. At least, I think it was silent. I was so distracted that I probably wouldn't have noticed if a band had marched in and boomed out Mozart.

However, I did notice when someone burst through the door, panting with exertion, his eyes wide with worry.

"Darren!" was the first thing Steve said as he entered the room. He stomped over to me and cupped my face, peering at it carefully. Then his gaze moved down to the rest of my body, scanning me thoroughly.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice conveying all the worry and concern he seemed to be feeling for my welfare. I placed my hands on his and squeezed it, trying to provide my husband with some comfort and reassurance.

"I'm fine. I just..." I just what? I just puked? I just fell back onto my chair? I just found out I'm pregnant? My mind ran through the different responses, mentally listing them out and crossing out the inappropriate ones. I was left with none after I had ruled out the bad ones.

"You just? Something's wrong?" he frowned. I looked to the Doctor for help and he quickly intervened.

"She's fine!" The Doctor hurriedly assured Steve. "I checked her out and everything. She's perfectly healthy," He paused. "Also, she's-" He abruptly cut off as I shook my head at him slightly. I wanted to be the one to tell Steve. Steve caught my movement out of the corner of his eyes and his frown deepened as he looked at me. Once again, the Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "I think she wants to tell you herself. Come on, Alastair," He gestured to the door. The vampaneze in the corner got up and walked to the door.

"Um, Alastair?" I called out unsurely, the unfamiliar tongue rolling off my tongue distorted. Alastair looked back curiously at me. "Thank you," I told him. "Thank you too, Doctor,"

Both nodded at me, and left the room with smiles. When the door had closed, I risked a peek at Steve to see him glaring at the door.

"You know, sometimes I hate the fact that the majority of vampaneze are males," Steve told me with a sigh. "And I thought Gannen said Alastair was safe,"

I frowned. "...safe?"

"Yeah. Apparently the guy has a male lover, so he wouldn't hit on you. He was perfect for guarding you,"

"I don't need anyone to guard me!" I protested, offended at the insinuation.

"Sure you don't," he said sarcastically. "I just feel better if there was someone watching you and Laris, alright?" I sighed, deciding to pursue the issue later. Seriously, I can't believe the care with which all these males treated me. I was no china doll, believe me. But that didn't matter right now. Steve watched me expectantly. I patted the spot beside me, my fingers thumping against the clean linen, signalling him to sit. He complied easily.

"So...?" he prompted me.

"Well, I vomited," I said, unsure as to how I should deliver the news.

"Yeah, I already know that," he said impatiently.

"You see, there was a reason for that,"

"Yeah, no kidding," Steve snorted sarcastically.

"The thing is..." I wasn't just beating around the bush, I had set fire to it and was cackling while I danced around it. So I decided to take the band-aid approach to this, and just rip it off. "Stevei'mpregnant," the words rushed out of me in one barely lucid word. I hoped with all my heart that Steve couldn't understand it. But from his dazedly shocked expression, I saw that he did hear what I said. Damn his good hearing.

Silence permeated the already thick air around us. Laris, sensing his discomfort, climbed into Steve's lap, getting slimy oatmeal all over Steve's all-black outfit. Steve distractedly petted his head, a repeated, automatic response to our son's way of expressing his support - or doing something cute..

"Huh," Steve said finally. "This time I definitely know it's mine," he joked, and I breathed out the choking air I had been holding in. My muscles weakened and I nearly fell off the bed in my relaxed state.

"Daddy," Laris said suddenly. Steve jolted as if he'd been struck by lightning, then inclined his head to stare at our first-born.

"What did you say?" he asked, stunned.

"Daddy!" Laris repeated, grinning.

Steve turned to me. "Did you hear that? He called me daddy!" he exclaimed.

"I know. He said mummy first though," I bragged. Steve's excited face abruptly changed.

"No," he denied, his crestfallen expression for once not inciting feelings of pity from me. I just grinned victoriously at him.

"Mummy," Laris said, as if in agreement. Steve glared at the wall, sucking his upper row of teeth sulkily.

"He was calling to me when I had vomited, but when he saw I was in trouble he tried to call you. He seemed to know what to call us. He just didn't try to until today," I said, trying to make Steve feel better. He continued to sulk for a minute more.

"The next one's first words are going to be daddy. I swear it," he declared to me.

"Fine, fine," I said with a dramatised exasperated sigh.

He stared at me, then a grin broke out over his face. "Another one's coming, huh?"

The corners of my mouth lifted. "Yeah," I replied, placing my head on his shoulder.

This time it was a comfortable silence as I just leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and cradled Laris with his other.

"Okay, I've decided," Steve said, breaking the silence. "We're going to buy lots of milk," I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him like he was crazy. Which he is. Sort of.

"Why?"

"For the baby!"

"...For the baby?"

"Yeah," He paused, re-registering his words. "You know something? You've made me really lame,"

"Oh, I don't think you needed any help with that," I protested, teasing.

I tensed, waiting for him to attack me - verbally or physically. But he didn't. He simply sat there, unmoving. The moment I relaxed a little, he pounced. With one hand, he tightly gripped my wrist and with the other he launched his attack, strumming his fingers back and forth across the protruding bones of my ribs. I screamed and tried to escape, laughing hysterically as he continued to trigger signals of utmost ticklishness in my most sensitive areas, causing me to squirm and scream. Laris giggled, watching me, kept securely in his father's lap where he was safe and comfortable.

He didn't stop until I was begging. Well, trying to beg. The tears running down my cheek and involuntary laughter impaired my abilities to speak.

We lay on our backs, staring at the surprisingly clean ceiling of the clinic. Laris was squished between us, letting out little contented snores. I sighed, feeling the same sense of content he was. I was with Steve. Everybody was safe. There was peace between the clans. The people I loved could visit me here. My son was safe and healthy, as was my second child. And best of all? My ex-best friend and arch enemy was my husband, and we were going to stay together forever. How lucky could a person get?

"Think the rest of our lives are going to be like this?" he asked me, his voice sounding as gratified as I was feeling.

"Yes," I answered. "Yes, I think it will," Sure, it wasn't anything resembling normality, but you know what? I liked it that way. Because I never thought a future like this was possible for me. But it is. No matter what anyone says, the path you think will lead you to your goal isn't never-ending. I got there, didn't I?

I looked to my right at my husband. Noticing my gaze, he turned his head to face me, smiling. The lack of words in our communication expressed our feelings and desires more clearly and powerfully than any alphabets strung together ever could have.

_I love you, Steve_

_I love you too, Darren._

* * *

**A/N: **To be truthful, I have no idea how the Doctor knew she was pregnant. I just guessed he would somehow know, considering that he was a doctor, and a vampaneze.

Okay, so as you know, this is the last chapter. The only thing left is an epilogue. And seeing as how this is basically the last chapter, I can write whatever I want. Including my whinges.

Come on, review! Flame me! Flame me loads! I don't mind, really! I'll take it like a man! Just let me know you're actually reading and that the story's okay. I know you guys are actually adding this story to your favourites and alerts, but seriously. I don't know whether you're actually reading from the add notifications or just clicking buttons.

...Okay the last part was mean. I take it back. But really. If you've been following this fic for 18 chapters, you should review at least once... Right? Or is that just some twisted logic my head has adopted because I'm addicted to reviews?

I kind of sad that this has ended. I spent quite a while on the last few paragraphs. I didn't want to end it. Which you can tell, considering that this whole chapter is bloody long.


	19. Epilogue: A Final Glimpse

**Disclaimer:** Feels a bit sad to be writing this one final time. But! I can always write new fics and thus more disclaimers, right? The plot and characters of the Darren Shan Saga/Cirque Du Freak belongs to the author Darren Shan. I can only lay claim to Laris and the other kids.

**A/N:** 'What other kids?' , well, that's why you have to read on! Enjoy, guys, one last chapter from me. Thanks for reading and following my femDarren's journey, as absurd as it's been.

By the way X-Jinxa-X, I sort of put in one of the comments that you made. You know, the 'I swear to God, Steve needs sex to live' or something like that? I just thought I'd copyright it for you here.

A final thanks to meselfi, SUSHIxMONSTER, X-Jinxa-X, iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs and LartenCrepsleyForeva123 for reviewing the last chapter. Special shoutouts go out to X-Jinxa-X, who was my first reviewer ever as well as meselfi and iLuVmYeViLpSyChOs for assisting me in certain parts of the fic. Your help was amazing, and it worked to make this fic much better than it would be if I didn't gain your help.

* * *

Epilogue: About 40 years later

"Steve... Oh God, Steve, stop teasing me..." I heard my whiney, high-pitched voice moan pathetically. My husband smirked and ran a finger down my spine.

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." he said huskily, his voice heavy and low. "But if you're saying what I think you're saying, then the answer is no. There's no way in hell I'm going to spend our long-awaited free time on a quickie."

I pouted, but stopped protesting.

He covered my mouth with his, reaching his tongue inside my mouth to taste me. I complied easily to his demanding tongue, moaning loudly as he explored the territory he already knew to be his.

"Darren, I love you..." He said in between pants as we broke off for air, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you too, Ste-" I started to say, before being cut off by the door being shoved open violently. It bounced against the receiving wall with a resounding thud that made Steve and I wince.

"Mum, Dad! Can I have th-" our seven year old daughter stopped abruptly as she looked curiously at our sweaty faces and what we might be doing under the blanket Steve had put over us.

It only took her five seconds to figure it out. Five seconds which Steve and I spent gaping at her instead of doing what we should have - covering her mouth.

"AHHHHHH! I'M BLIND!" Ardelle screamed, running from the open door. Steve and I scrambled to put our clothes on and shush our daughter. There was no doubt that every single other vampaneze and visiting vampire in the building had heard her inhumanly loud scream.

Steve caught my eye and sighed. I smiled at him in a what-can-you-do manner and left to find my daughter.

She was busy bawling her eyes out to Evanna's twins and her brothers.

"It was horrible!" she sobbed into Laris's shoulder.

"It's okay," Laris said comfortingly, petting her head. Just days ago, Laris had turned forty, though he maintained the physical appearance of a twenty year old. After going through puberty, he started aging at the same rate that full vampires and vampaneze do. As my other two sons did. I was thankful for that. I really didn't want to outlive my children.

"What a baby," Gavius snorted. "I mean, you don't hear it, but mum and dad do it all the time."

Ardelle sniffled and said, "Do what?"

Gavius rolled his eyes. "Have se-"

Sanche, Chiron and Alec shut him up without missing a beat, each delivering a painful blow of their own to my second son. Gavius had a bit of a loose tongue. I've blamed Steve many a time for it, because obviously, that trait was inherited from him.

"What's seh?" Ardelle repeated curiously, head tilted to one side. My heart swelled over our cute little accident. Yes, that's right, she was an accident. A miraculous one. Steve, however, insists that he did it on purpose. Then again, I suppose all our children were accidents. Never once did we plan to have any of them. They sort of just... happened.

"It's what mummy and daddy do so that you can have a little sister," Steve answered cheerily. Ardelle's face lit up.

"Daddy! Mummy!" she leaped up, ran to us, then stopped right in front of us and looked at us suspiciously.

"Seh is sex, isn't it?" she pouted.

"Where did you learn that word?" I asked sharply, horrified at how much my seven year old knew. When I was seven, all I thought about was soccer - okay, okay, and Steve - so how could she know such a thing?

Ardelle's gaze became shifty. I saw her eyes slide to Gavius more than once. I glared at my brunette thirty-eight year old son.

"Gav?" I asked icily, crossing my arms sternly at my second son.

"Uh... Haha..." he laughed nervously, knowing that he was in trouble.

"You want a little sister, don't you, Delle?" Steve bent down to beam at his favourite - and only, but that was Steve's private joke - daughter. "So, next time, when you see daddy and mummy doing that, just shut the door quietly and leave, alright?"

"Why?" she asked.

Steve opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. I rolled my eyes, knowing what smutty thing had almost escaped his mouth. He quickly amended. "Because then the candy god will come and give you a gift for being so good,"

"Really? Yay!" she clapped her hands excitedly.

"See?" Steve took out some candy from some pocket of his. I never know where he keeps his things. "He's rewarding you already!" he handed her the candy and she munched on it happily.

"Dad, you shouldn't bring her up on such lies..." Sanche said quietly.

"What's wrong with giving her candy? I really do want another daughter, you know. I'm so sick of men," Steve pulled a face, but I knew he was joking. He loved his sons very much. "Especially you two. Get out of here already." He said rudely to Chiron and Alec. Alec rolled his eyes.

"It's not like we're here for you, Uncle Steve," Alec said.

"And I can assure you that we're as sick of you as you are of us," Chiron said.

It wasn't hard to see which traits came from who. Alec was wild, and untamed. He was constantly dirty and getting into trouble, but at the same time knew how to shut his mouth. Chiron was proper, and refined. He was rarely seen with a hair out of place. However, when he got angry, he would resemble his mother. A lot.

"Then why are you two still here?" Steve asked. Alec and Chiron pointed to Ardelle.

"She goes off if we leave," Alec said.

"Like an alarm," Chiron added. She looked at them quizzically, wondering what they were talking about. I stiffled an urge to laugh, thinking of how fitting their words were, recalling what happened the last time Alec tried to leave.

"But we don't need them, do we, Delle?" Steve asked, stroking her hair lovingly.

"Ngee hoo (Need who)?" she mumbled through a mouthful of candy. Alec whispered something to Chiron, and Chiron started backing away and leaving quietly. He managed to get to the door before she realised what was happening. And then she was off.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she shouted, and bolted to where Chiron was. In the minute it took her to get there, Chiron managed to open his arms wide, bend down, and catch her as she flung herself into his arms.

And all the while, I was thinking, _That's just so cute._

Steve was pouting. But it was only natural that Ardelle would be so attached to Chiron and Alec, and them to her. She was only seven, and they had been adults for slightly more than thirty-eight years now, having grown up as quickly as their mother. It's no wonder they babied her. Laris and Sanche did too. And I haven't even mentioned the countless vampires and vampaneze who found her adorable.

Ardelle was the most human out of our four children, she possessed ordinary senses, average speed as well as strength, and found tasting blood disgusting. I worried about her a lot. So far there had been no indication that she was in any way inhuman, and may have the lifespan of one. That just made us more protective of her. I think we may have spoiled her a little in that way. But she wasn't spoiled in the bratty type of way. No, she was spoilt in a naïve, innocent way. She had very little knowledge of the outside world. Which was fine with me - for now.

"So, baby, you get it now? When mummy and daddy are making babies, just leave quietly, okay?" Steve asked the little girl in Chiron's arms.

"Okay!" she said cheerfully with a smile. Steve sighed in relief, handed her another candy and grabbed my arm.

"Okay, let's go," he muttered, almost reaching flitting speed in his haste to drag me to the bedroom. The last thing I saw as I was dragged out of the room was Gavius rolling his eyes.

"Wait, Steve..." I protested. He stopped abruptly and pushed me into a wall, his eyes boring into me.

"Darren. I swear to God, if we don't make love right now, I'm going to die,"

I stared at him stupidly. "...die?"

"Yes, die," he replied assertively, almost fervently. And with an utterly solemn look too.

"Huh." I said. After a few more seconds of silence, I burst out laughing. He continued to glare at me.

"Darren. It's not that funny," He said with that glare which would have made any one of his subjects frightened to the point of urinating in that spot. But to me, it just added to the humour of the situation.

"Yes-ahahahaha! It-hah! Really is-" I said, barely fluent as I spoke between giggles. Steve glared at me for a while more before silencing me in the way he knew best. His lips were on mine before I could object. Then all that I emitted were stifled moans as he rubbed his body against mine. Four decades. Four decades and four children later and we were still acting like we were in heat.

In our mating frenzy, we failed to register the fact that we were in a public-ish place and anyone could pass by and catch us in the act - including our innocent daughter. Unfortunately, someone did creep up to us and clear his throat. Fortunately, it wasn't our daughter.

I shoved Steve away, feeling embarrassed to have been caught. The two of us were gasping from the lack of air. My lust-clouded vision slowly dissipated and I tried to focus on the person who had walked in on us.

"Still at it, huh, lovebirds?" Andy chuckled, leaning on his walking stick.

"Andy!" I said and ran up to my brother to hug him. Despite their association with us, Andy and Debbie had never joined us in becoming creatures of the undead. Alice did, which was quite a shock to us, but the lifestyle of a proud warrior suited her. Debbie, unfortunately, resisted until the end. She and Andy had brought up two beautiful children, and now had three grandchildren. But a few years ago, Debbie surrendered her worldly life to cancer, heading off to Paradise before any of us. I had cried for weeks. But it was better this way. Andy was now a hexogenarian, living out his life day-to-day and constantly visiting us. His second grandchild, Pat - His full name was Patrick, but we called him Pat - often came to visit with him, the whole family having been brought up with the knowledge of vampaneze and vampires.

"Where's Pat?" I asked, looking around our feet for my grand-nephew.

"I left him with Ardelle and Laris," Andy answered. "I thought I would greet the two of you first - and what a surprise, I find you making out like two teenagers in the hallway," he teased.

"Sorry, Grandpa," I teased back. He grinned. I took his arm and helped his age-weakened legs get him back to the recreational room where Ardelle and Pat were sure to be. Steve followed behind, pouting, as usual, at the lack of sex he was getting. Or maybe he was nursing the hard-on I'd felt from earlier, trying to get it down before we encountered the children. Who knows?

"No, I'm the Prince!" We heard Pat's voice argue indignantly as we entered the rec room.

"No way, it's me!" Ardelle argued back.

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Me Me Me!" Pat shouted at the top of his voice.

"Children, children, both of you can be the Princes!" Andy chastised, waving his walking stick at them.

"Grandpa!" Ardelle squealed in delight, rushing over to him, Pat at her heels. Andy wasn't exactly her grandpa, but she called him that because Pat did.

"Grandpa, you should be the Princess!" Pat said excitedly, pridefully, as if it was the best idea he'd ever had.

"Yes, Grandpa!" Ardelle said, their argument temporarilyforgotten in light of Pat's new, wonderful brainwave. She bounced up and down in her excitement.

"Oh, definitely, Grandpa," I agreed enthusiastically. "You would make a great Princess,"

"Says you," He glared at me sullenly. I giggled.

"Well, our resident _Princess_ would definitely know," Vancha laughed from the door entrance, placing heavy emphasis on my title. I rolled my eyes.

"Like you can talk, stinky," a voice said from behind Vancha. Alice Burgess stepped out from behind the bulky vampire, and approached Andy. She too had been close to Debbie and was sympathetic to the aging old man who lost his wife to cancer.

"Hey Alice," Andy said, briefly embracing the muscular woman. She drew back and scanned him quickly, then released him with an approving look.

"You seem good," she noted with relief.

"I am," he answered with a smile at the woman's concern.

"Grandpa's going to be the Princess!" Pat told Alice excitedly.

"Oh?" Alice lifted an eyebrow. "Isn't he a little too old to be playing the Princess? Why don't you play the Princess?" She looked at Ardelle.

"Nuh-uh!" The seven year old objected vehemently. "I'm the Prince!"

"No, I am!" Pat said, his voice going up in volume once more.

"Be quiet! Neither of you will be the Prince! I'll play the Prince!" Gavius shouted, his patience worn thin.

"What!" both children shouted in reply. One looked like a bull who'd seen red, the other one seemed to be on the verge of tears. The latter was my grand-nephew.

"Just sit down, Gav," Laris said with a sigh. "You'll just encourage them by saying stupid things like that,"

"Indeed," Chiron agreed, taking a sip from his coffee with the same elegance with which one of his fathers had. I never understood their freakish ability to exert such grace in doing so much as holding a teacup.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked Vancha, surprised by his unannounced visit though not totally shocked. People visited us all the time - Andy, Evanna, Harkat, even Mika paid a visit once to see Laris.

"Alice heard that Andy was travelling here. She wanted to see him, so I followed," Vancha shrugged. He'd actually been here several days ago when Laris turned forty, though Alice wasn't. If any other person had asked him to accompany them in returning to a place he had just been recently, he would have rejected. But this was Alice we were talking about. She didn't even have to ask.

"Whipped," Steve muttered. Vancha turned his head to the Vampaneze Lord instantly.

"What'd you say?" he asked.

"Whipped," I repeated. "You really are," The Prince had admitted to me that though he had children with Evanna, he didn't have any special feelings towards her. Blamed solely on the fact that his heart was totally occupied with an ex-police inspector whom he had blooded.

"Yeah, whatever," Vancha shrugged. And though Alice had rejected him countless times, he continued to court her. That was why Alec seemed so much like Vancha. Neither knew when to quit it. Vancha continued to go out in the sun, with very little results, of course. And Alec, sometimes, would still dive off cliffs for fun. If I'm not mistaken, he even tried falling down the stream through Vampire Mountain - which I, the only other sole survivor of that horrendous ride, shivered at the thought of - but he had magic on his side. No one doubted that the hybrid vampire/vampaneze/witch would survive it.

"Now, what's all this about Princes?" Evanna's voice came from the door. A frown accompanied her comment as she watched the children and Gavius argue loudly over who was going to be the Prince. Evanna, like Vancha, had been with us to celebrate Laris's birthday and had yet to leave. Gannen continued to trail behind her in the moments she was here, much like his brother avidly - openly - stalking Alice. The only thing is that Gannen seemed to be silently courting Evanna, unlike Vancha who declared his love at every and any moment that was given to him.

"Evanna, I should be the Prince, right?" Ardelle asked the witch. The one time one of my children - Gavius - had tried to call her Aunt Evanna, the day had not ended well. It was even worse when Ardelle had called her Uncle, mistaking her for a man from her facial hair. Though Ardelle had gotten off scot-free due to her cuteness. Gavius hadn't.

"Perhaps," the witch answered, taking the little girl's hand. "Your mother certainly wanted to be a Prince instead of a Princess."

"I don't believe it," Steve muttered beside me. I turned my head to look at my husband, distracted from the oddly heart-warming display of our friends and family before us. "Our one day off from bloody Vampaneze Lord duties and we have to spend it entertaining visitors and deciding who is better suited to be a Prince," he muttered sulkily.

"I don't see why you're so sulky about it. We sleep together nearly ever night, and will probably continue to for the next few centuries," I muttered back to him, trying to make sure that my children - with their acute hearing - wouldn't catch what we were talking about.

"Yeah, but I wanted to spend a whole day doing it," Steve whined.

I rolled my eyes. "You have too much testosterone,"

"All the better to impregnate you with," he said with a wolfy grin.

I sighed, but was unable to conceal the smile on my face as I walked over to join in the argument and assert that _I_ deserved to be the Prince more than any of them did.

Steve, having had no choice but to join us, decided that he will be the villain.

Which meant that I ended up being the Princess.

_Awww..._

With all the guests around us, it was almost sunrise by the time we were done entertaining them and our children. It was even later by the time we'd tucked in Ardelle - who slept in her own little coffin in a room with Chiron, Laris and Alec. Laris I wasn't too worried about but when she grew older I was going to separate her from the twins. Sure, they may be her cousins, but there was something there. I knew it. And I didn't want my precious baby to be touched in any way for a long, long time. Now I knew why my mother was so worried about me staying overnight at Steve's.

"Finally," Steve groaned, dragging me into the large coffin that accommodated us both.

"It wasn't that bad," I laughed.

"You have no idea," he shook his head at my ignorance.

Then he collapsed atop me, trying not to squish me with his body weight and yet attempting to convey to me just how weary he was. "Sorry, I can't make love to you anymore. I'm too tired,"

"Liar," I said.

He grinned at me and kissed me, slowly, gently and yet passionately, causing me to sigh in bliss. I would guess that several centuries from now, when we were both wrinkly and old, we would still be doing this (and by that, I mean kissing). Nothing would or could ever separate us. Never.

Well, except maybe-

"Daddy, mummy! I had a night-" Ardelle shouted as she threw the door open once more. Steve groaned as we broke off the kiss. Before either of us could react, she opened her mouth wide to scream when Alec placed a hand over her mouth and Chiron carried her off.

"Sorry, Uncle Steve, Aunt Darren," They muttered hurriedly and hastily closed the door, purposely avoiding having a good look at what we were doing.

It took several minutes for me to register what had just happened - then I burst out into hysterical laughter. Steve just groaned in frustration once more, resting his head against my shoulder.

"We have several centuries to keep doing this, remember?" I said, petting his shoulder comfortingly.

"I know, I know," he smiled wryly, then kissed me once more.

When we broke apart, he said in a firm voice:

"First thing tomorrow, I'm getting the heaviest lock I can get put on our door,"

I laughed once more as he slipped off the rest of our clothes and stuck it under the door in a feeble attempt to jam the door with it, just in case Ardelle tried to interrupt us once more.

"So, Mrs Leopard," he said, climbing back into the coffin. "Ready to have more children?" he asked antagonistically.

"Always," I responded automatically, then once more started giggling at the cheesy lines. He smirked and closed the lid of the coffin, allowing no more interruptions to stop him having his way.

**The End**

_Afternotes:_

_Darren Shan lived to a ripe, old age with her husband Steve Leopard (Leonard originally, but more commonly known as Leopard in his new life as a creature of the undead)_

_Despite the great foiling of his plans, Des Tiny refrained from meddling in the calm, joyful lives of his children. It was only much later that he would put his new scheme of anarchy into action, and throw the world into chaos once again._

_And when that happens, a descendant of the Child Princess of the Vampires and the Lord of the Vampaneze will rise up and defeat the accursed Time Meddler, taking his place as the ruler of Destiny._

_But that's another story._

_End Afternotes._

* * *

Here comes the really long ending ceremony/rant.

**A/N:** To be truthful, I was going to end the epilogue with an "I love you, Steve," and a "I love you too, Darren," before I realised -_ that's how I've ended the last two chapters!_ Sorry guys. I'm going senile.

Laris means cheerful. Ardelle means warm and enthusiastic. Gavius means 'lord', and Sanche means 'sacred'. Those four are from Latin. Chiron means 'a wise teacher' in Greek, while Alec, also Greek, means 'The protector and helper of mankind' or something like that. (Btw, Alec and Sandy mean the same thing :D)

In case you didn't notice, all four of Steve and Darren's children are named after some people who'd been sacrificed in Darren's story. Laris = Larten, Ardelle = Arra, Gavius = Gavner and Sanche = Sam. Sam was the hard one, because I wanted to keep it all in Latin, and_ there were no cool Latin names that sounded like Sam. _I settled for Sanche. Not really happy about it though.

I love www . cool - baby - names . com . au.

If you haven't already figured it out, I was trying to set up a love triangle between Chiron, Ardelle and Alec for future stories, or something. Though I'm not sure how it'll work. And when I planned it, I forgot that they were cousins. I think I may have also made Ardelle a bit too Mary Sue-ish. Sorry about that.

If I do make a future story about them - A very big_** IF**_ - I doubt I'd post it on fanfiction . net. Simply because it'd be an OC story, not a fanfic. But if you are interested in it, I'd love to send it to you... That is, if I ever finish Chapter 1. Which you know, is another way of saying I'll probably never finish Chapter 1.

Er, for anyone who's curious, I made a picture of the descendant who kills Mr Tiny in the end as well as a picture of all of the kids. It's only a pencil sketch, and it's on lined paper, but it came out okay. The problem is: I have no idea how to use deviantart. Lol. If I somehow figure it out, I'll post it on my profile.

Finally, I want to say thanks to all the people who reviewed, and added this story to their favourites and alerts. I would name you all but won't in fear that I'll miss someone and leave whoever it is out. And I also want to thank the people who, like ninjas, read my fic and yet didn't review or add it to anything, then snuck off without allowing me to thank them. I know you're out there and I love you all the same.

And of course, to any future readers who actually went so far as to read all nineteen chapters of The Impossible - Thank you.


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